The Sand, The Fire and The Water
by nico-amey
Summary: Gaara is called onto a mission by a high lord, Lord Arashi... what will be his mission?
1. Mission Briefing

**The sand the fire and the water**

I came into my office and saw that there was a note on my desk. I picked it up and looked at it for a few seconds… I walked out the door just a few seconds later. I walked through the streets of Sunagakure towards lord Arashi's estate. I arrived at the Arashi estate about half an hour after my departure. I knocked at the door to be greeted by a maid. "hello… Is Lord Arashi in?" I asked as friendly as I could muster. "O…Oh… yes… one moment please… please do come inside and sit while I get Master Arashi…" she stammered out as she opened the door for my to enter. I waited inside the living room until the maid entered the room again. "Uh….Umm… Master Arashi will see you in his study now…." she said as I stood up. She led me down a hall way into his study, where she left once I was inside. "Ahhh… Kasekage sir… glad to met you… I'm glad you could come meet me on such short notice…" I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, he sat across from me in the other seat. "Now… the note said it was a mission of urgency…" I said as I sat more comfortably in the chair. "Yes… It's about my daughter… Princess Suna Arashi…" I looked at him with interest. "And how does that involve me?" I asked. He pressed his hand to his forehead. " You know of our alliance with Konoha?" He asked bluntly. "Yes." I stated. "Well… Suna is very important in retaining our alliance with Konoha…" He said. "I see… and why am I needed?" I asked. "Well… I want her to be protected by the very best… So I have called you in, along with one other…" He explained. "Who is the other?" I asked, wanting as much information as I could get. "Mizu Hoshi." He said simply. I heard The door open behind me. A girl, about my age, with red hair with dark yellow streaks on about half the bangs, in a long dark red T-shirt and black leggings, entered the room. "Dad? Did I interrupt you?" She asked with a twinge of disregard towards him. "Hello Suna…" He then turned his view back to me. "So you understand what I am asking you to do?" He asked. "Yes. You're asking me to guard your daughter on her trip to Konoha…" I said bluntly. I found the girl's reaction to this quite shocking… I kept my emotions unseen though. "What! You're sending guards with me!?!? I don't need guards!" She yelled. "You will go with the guards because I say so!" He yelled back as he stood up. "I don't care who you are! you're not the boss of me! You're not my father anymore! not since you married that… that… that serpent women! She looks like freakin' Shukaku or something!" She screamed back at him. My head shot up at that moment. I saw that Lord Arashi was about to hit her straight on. I released sand from my gourd without even noticing. The sand formed a hand that wrapped around his, holding his hand in place just a few centimetres from her face. She turned around and walked out of the study. Once she was out of the room I released the sand and it returned to the gourd. Lord Arashi snapped his head towards me. "Why did you interfere? Do you think you're superior to me just because you're kasekage? You're still just a teenager!" He muttered as He glared at me from across the table. "Sorry Lord Arashi, but I don't like to see girls be hit when they are causing no harm…" I stated bluntly. "Whatever. Here's the pay for before hand… As a sign that I am entrusting you with her life…" He said as he handed me an envelope. "This is your down payment?" I asked. "yes. 25,000 Ryou."


	2. Gathering the Team

**chapter 2**

**gaara**

Mizu walked into the office, quiet and respectful. "Hello kazekage sir." He said as he stepped up towards my desk. "You called for me?" He asked. "Yes… It seems we are going on a mission together…" I said as I stood up and walked around my desk. "what's the mission?" He asked as he stood up and followed me with his gaze. "We're delivering some precious cargo, to Konoha." I stated as I started to walk across the room towards the door. He followed. "Cargo? Isn't that a bit below something that the kazekage should do? Shouldn't such a mission go to a lower rank shinobi?" He asked as we walked down the hall. "This is some _special _cargo… It will keep the alliance between wind country and fire country stable…" I said as I walked towards the lobby. "I understand that our alliance with fire country is important… But how important could this cargo be?" He asked as we walked out the door and down the street. "Extremely important, and as kazekage, it is my job to retain alliances with the other countries… Thus this mission is meant for me." I stated as I turned around to see Temari and Konkuro following behind. We arrived at the Estate to be greeted by the same maid from the other day. "Oh! Kazekage… right this way…" She said as she opened the gate, Temari started to come too, but I turned to her and told her to wait outside. She was reluctant at first, but listened and waited outside. I was greeted by a tall, skinny and pale women. "Hello…" She said in a slithery type of voice. "Hello." I said. "Are you Mrs. Arashi?" I asked. "Yes…" She said in her slithery voice as she smiled and tilted her head. She didn't look like Shukaku, as the lord's daughter had stated, she reminded me more of Orochimaru. "I'm here to pick up… Ummm… Suna?" I said as I tried to remember her name. "Ahhh… yes, my step daughter…" She said as she turned around. "I'll just go get her." She stated as she walked out of the room. I waited for a few minutes before hearing footsteps towards the room. "Are you the guard my father sent?" She said with distaste as she flipped a lock of hair out of her face. She wore shin high ninja boots, in dark red; fish net style leggings from just below her knee to half way up her upper legs, where they transferred into black solid leggings. She wore a pleated dark red skirt and wore her head protector side ways across her hip so one end touched the skirt and the other end touched her tank top. Her tank top stopped just above her belly button, the sleeve on her right arm, left from my view, was a thick sleeve, and the other sleeve was fish net styled and stopped right above her elbow; the tank top was a dark red as well. Her hair was a brighter shade of red with yellow on about half the tips. "Yes. I said as I sat up from where I stood on the couch and picked up my gourd. "Is that your canteen or something?" She said with evident sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and started walking out the door, she reluctantly followed. As we stepped outside the gates of the Arashi estate, I heard her breath a sigh of relief, and noticed as Mizu stood frozen in his spot on the sidewalk. I smirked. I could tell this would be an interesting mission. "Alright. Let's get going towards Konoha." I announced to the group. Mizu snapped out of his state and began to walk beside me. "So where are we supposed to get this cargo?"


	3. Setting Out

**Chapter 3**

**Suna**

My witch of a step mother called me out of my room, said there was someone here for me. I knew it would be those guards my father had hired to guide me to Konoha. I walked out into the living room and leaned against the door frame. "Are you the guard my father hired?" I asked with utter distaste, both towards my father and this guy sitting on the couch. He stood up and grabbed the gourd on the ground beside him. I said a snarky comment, I'm not sure what it was anymore, but it was my usual type of comment. Either way I followed him out of the estate. Once I was outside the gates of the Estate it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulder, I breathed a sigh of relief. When I looked up I saw some guy with spiky blue hair staring at me. I glared at him before the one with dark red hair announced that we would get going. I saw the blue haired guy say something to the red haired one, but I didn't really care much. I walked t the back of the group, looking t the village around me. I saw a man stare at me from across the street, I glared back at him and he returned to buying some fruit. We walked for a couple hours before I heard the blue haired one announced quite loudly. "Sir? May we please stop to pick up some supplies for our trip to Konoha?" The red haired one sighed. "That would probably be a wise idea. Let's stop and get supplies before we leave Sunagakure." We stopped at the local market and they bought some supplies while I just sat at a table of a local ramen shop. The blonde girl sat down across from me. "Hey." She said with a straight face. "Hi?" I said raising an eyebrow. "So… I want you to do something for me…" She said looking down at the table. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. I doubted it would be something I would bother to do, but I would listen none the less. "I want you to keep an eye on my little brother. He's powerful… But he can be hasty… I don't want to lose him… please try to protect him as much as he will protect you… Gaara's someone who never had anyone look after him like everyone else… People excluded him because of what was within him… Things have changed, but none the less… He's still my little brother, And I want him to be safe…" She said as she looked deep into my eyes… It was if she was looking straight into my soul. "I will." I said as I stared straight back into her eyes. She smiled and it caught me off guard for a second. "Thank you…" She said with a smile. For a moment I felt like all my problems were going away forever. "You're welcome." I said with a smile tugging at the edge of my mouth. The other guy, he wore a puppet slung over his shoulder, yelled to us. "Hey come on girls!" He yelled from down the street while waving an arm in the air. "Comin' Konkuro!" The blonde called as she got up and grabbed my hand to pull me down the street to the group. The red haired gut looked towards me. "What?" I asked him. "Nothing. Just admiring how quickly Temari has taken a shine to you." He stated. The blue haired one called us to attention. "Come on guys! We've got to get going." About an hour later we arrived at the edge of the village. The blonde girl hugged the red haired guy. "Bye little brother! I'll miss you sooooo much!" She said as she squeezed him close. The one carrying the puppet patted the red haired guy on the shoulder. "Gonna miss you bro." He said. They left back towards the village and then it was just me, the blue haired guy, and the red haired one…


	4. suna no arashi

**Chapter 4**

**Gaara**

We began to walk through the sunny deserts, after a few hours I heard Mizu breathing heavily. I heard Suna mutter about how weak he was. I sighed, I could tell that they'd be fighting a lot right off the bat. "Mizu? Are you tired?" I asked as I abruptly stopped. "A… Little…" He said while taking breaths between every word. "It's… My… Sword…" He stated. "Pht! weakling…" Suna muttered. "Stop it Suna… one part of being a ninja is having respect for your fellow shinobi…" I stated. "You don't have to tell a jounin what being a ninja means… I've known for a long time…" She said back, but as she spoke the sentence she began to mumble as the sentence progressed. "What's up? Are you afraid of the Kazekage?" Said Mizu, standing up with a cocky grin. "No. Why should I be afraid of the Kazekage when I'm not in Sunagakure… I'm going to Konoha…" She recoiled. Mizu was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Because you'll be in presence of the Kazekage the entire journey!" He stated. "How so?" She asked. I stepped in front of Mizu. "Because I'm the kazekage…" I stated. Suna was frozen in shock for a good five minutes. She sat down on the sand and just stared blankly into the pail grains. I sat down across from her. "You okay?" I asked. It took her a minute to respond. "Y-Yeah… Just caught me off guard." She said. She suddenly stood up. "Well let's get going! I won't get shown up by weakling guy over here… Or the kazekage for that matter!" She said with pure determination. We began to walk again. I heard Mizu start a conversation with Suna again. "So… Your name is Suna? Right?" He asked. "Yeah…" She said as she continued to treck through the sand. "And you're from Sunagakure?" He continued. "Yes… what's your point?" She asked bluntly. "So… you're named after the village then?" He asked. I was surprised at how Suna took this comment, I expected her to freak out at him, but she simply stated. "No. I was named Suna for another reason…" This puzzled Mizu. "So why were you named Suna then?" He pestered. "Something happened to Sunagakure on the day I was born… Something devistating…" She said emotionlessly. "What happened?" He asked out of curiousity. "On the day I was born… There was a natural disaster… that caused massive devistation to Sunagakure…" She said. "What kind of natural disaster?" He asked. "A sand storm… A *suna no arashi*…" She said with a sudden spark in her eyes.

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_Author's note: hey people! I know this chpter was a bit shorter than the others... but I wanted you guys to get a basic idea what Suna's name means... there will be more about that in a chapter or 2... I'd also like to sy thanks to my good friend who is developing the story with me... these first few chapters are mine but my friend will be adding her 2 vcents to the story very soon XD thanks to all my readers so far! I love you guys!_


	5. You make me wanna smile

**Chapter 5**

**Suna**

We walked for hours after our break earlier today. It was getting dark when I heard something. I stopped dead where I was, causing Mizu to bump into me. He fell to the sand. "Hey! Why'd you stop?!?" He asked with anger in his voice. "Shhhh…" I said bending down and putting a finger to my lips. I stood back up and looked around a little. "I heard something…" I said in a hushed voice. "Oh don't be such a scaredy cat." He said standing back up so he was more t eye to eye level. Gaara turned towards us. "She's not being scared… I heard it too Mizu…" He said. "Shhhh…" I said hushing them. We stood there and listened for minutes before Mizu sighed and stated. "I don't hear anything…" I heard Gaara sigh. "That's because you're not listening…" He stated. I sighed. "They're gone now…" I said as I began to walk again. "Be on guard guys… I think we have followers…" Gaara said as we walked. I watched my side then the other repeatedly every once in a while. The night went by in such a manner for hours. Around 2 am Mizu stopped and sat down. "I think we should set up camp here?" He asked. "Yeah… Probably…" Said gaara as he created a make shift fort out of sand. "Alright… We'll use this as our camp for the night…" He said as he set his gourd down. "I can take care of my own fort…" I said as the sand around me swirled and created a fort of my own. Mizu stared t me for a second. "I thought the only one with that ability was the Kazekage…" He said. "Nope." I said with a smirk. I entered my fort and Gaara entered his and Mizu stood there for a minute confused. I stuck my head out of my fort and sighed. "You can come in…" I said. "Are you sure there's room for both of us?" He asked. I sighed again. "Yes. There's lots of room…" I said as I brought my head back in the fort. He entered and looked around. "You're right… It is roomy." He said as he sat across the fort from me. "So why are you even going to Konoha? You're the lord's daughter… Why do you need to leave Sunagakure?" He asked. "I symbolize the alliance between wind country and fire country… And even if I didn't have to go, I would anyway… Just to get away from my father…" I said in a low voice. "Why would you wanna get away from your father so bad? I mean he's rich, powerful, respected by practically everyone…" He said with pure curiosity in his voice. "Because he changed… after my mother died he took me back to Sunagakure and raised me there… For years he didn't remarry… But one day a few years ago he suddenly married a horrible women… I don't know what he sees in her… I find it very puzzling…" I said. "So… Where are you from? I can tell you weren't born in Sunagakure…" I continued. "I was born in Kirigakure… I spent part of my childhood there… until a blood thirsty murderer killed my parents… I never saw my little brother again…" He said solemnly… "I'm sorry to here that… I guess we have more in common than I thought…" I said looking at him. "Yeah…" he said with an innocent smile. I smiled back with out even noticing. There was something about him, no matter how many fights we would get into… He still will make me smile. "I don't know why… But you make me want to smile." I said looking into his eyes. He just smiled at this. "don't go all girly on me!" I said playfully punching his shoulder. "Haha!" He said s he reverted to himself. "Well night then softy." I said as I curled up in my blanket. "Night crayon head." He said back.


	6. Dark Abyss

**Chapter 6**

**Mizu**

We walked for days through the sand. "Why re we going at such a slow pace?" I asked. " We could have been at Konoha days ago…" I said. "We have to take a certain route for safety reasons. Me and Suna are of high rank and could be attacked for ransom or in an effort to ruin the wind country… So we take a hidden route in order to protect the fate of Konoha…" said Gaara-sempai. "Oh… I understand Gaara-sempai…" I said. We walked for hours more before we reached a bridge connecting two sides of canyon. I swear my eyes almost fell out of my head. "So we have to cross this bridge!?" I almost screamed. " That board is thinner than our heads!" Gaara-sempai and Suna-sama sighed in unison. "What?" I asked. "We don't go cross the canyon… We go into it…" Gaara-sempai stated. "Huh? how do we do that?" I asked. Gaara-sempai didn't answer. I noticed the sand from his gourd flew over towards the edge of the canyon, creating a platform that Gaara-sempai and Suna-sama stepped onto. The platform began to lower into the canyon. "Hey! Wait for me!" I said as I stepped towards where the platform was dropping. I looked down into the canyon to see that the plat form had dropped about 10 feet into the canyon. Suna-sama looked up at me. "Come on Softy!" She yelled up at me with a smile spreading across her face. "Fine! Fine! I'm coming crayon head!" I said as I jumped off the edge of the canyon. I fell the 10 feet and landed on my feet on the edge of the platform. Suna-sama's eyes bugged out as I began to fall backwards off the platform. I began to fall into the dark abyss below. "Mizu!" I heard Suna-sama scream as she watched me fall into the never ending black. I pulled my sword off my back and stabbed it into the canyon wall but it didn't stick and I continued to fall towards my inevitable death.

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_author's note: sorry guys... i know this was a short chapter but i wanted suspence! love you all! I wont make you wait too long! XD what will happen to Mizu?_

**question of the chapter: **which do you think would be better? Gaara x Suna or Mizu x Suna?


	7. Survival or Death

**Chapter 7**

**Suna**

I watched as Mizu fell into the canyon. "Mizu!" I yelled, reaching out my hand towards him. I felt tears begin to run down my face. I didn't even know why I was starting to cry, I never cried. I watched as a tear dripped off my face down into the abyss. I wiped my tears away before Gaara saw. "Gaara?" I said, breaking the silence. "Yes Suna?" He responded. "Can you tell how deep this canyon is?" I asked with determination in my voice. "No." He said bluntly. "But why do you need to know?" He continued. "If I knew how deep it was I would be able to gauge how much sand I need to create a platform to catch him." I said, wiping another single tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. "Don't cry." Gaara said simply. I was shocked that he had known I had been crying all along. I stood up and looked him straight in the eye with a blank expression. "Do we go on without him then?" I asked. "We continue down the canyon, and if we find him at the bottom we will know what to do…" He said as the platform began to lower again. I Just stared down into the abyss, wondering what his body would look like when we found it down there. If we found it. I felt tears begin to drop down my face again. I dropped to my knees and began to let the tears flow. I didn't care if Gaara saw me cry now, it was too late to hide it. I was crying so hard after a few minutes that I didn't even notice that I began to lean off the platform, luckily Gaara released some sand and caught me. I stood up and stared him straight in the eyes with pure anger. "Why didn't you do that for Mizu?!?!" I screamed at him. "Why did you just catch me, but when Mizu fell you did nothing!?" I continued screaming. "I'm sorry, but I didn't have the time… He landed then fell off." He said blandly "Ugh! That's not it at all! You just care about the mission! You don't care about your team mates at all!" I screamed at him as I felt the fire in my right hand begin to burn. "That's not true." He said emotionlessly. "Liar!" I screamed as the fire in my hand grew bigger and burnt hotter. I swung my hand back and began to bring it forward to punch him in the face. He grabbed my hand when it was just inches from my face. "Punching me won't bring Mizu back…" He said looking me deep in the eyes. "Your mission is to go to Konoha and retain the alliance with the fire country." He stated. "No." I said looking down. "That isn't my mission…" I continued. "I don't have a real mission… The reason I'm going to Konoha is to speak to Lady Tsunade about my father and my step mother… My real reason is to escape my prison…" I said as my tears stopped falling down my face and the fire in my hand burnt out. "I see…" Said Gaara as he released my hand and put his hands on my shoulders. "I know your pain…" He said looking into my eyes. "But right now we have to get to Konoha…" He said. I nodded and looked down into the abyss. I noticed we had reached the bottom. I stepped off the platform and looked round for a body. Nothing. Then I heard something across the canyon form me. I took a few steps forward to see a figured seated against the canyon wall. I took another couple steps. "M-Mi-Mizu?" I stuttered out as I hesitantly reached out a hand. I saw the figure stand up and take a couple steps forward. I took a step back, just in case it wasn't Mizu. The figure reached it's hand out towards me. The tips of it's fingers reached my cheek. It's touch sent a chill done my skin. "Suna…" It said. My eyes went wide with shock. "It suddenly pulled me into a hug. "Oh Suna… I thought I'd never see you again…" It said with sorrow. "Mizu?" I asked shakily. "Yeah… it's me crayon head…" He said. "Mizu!" I said as tears began to flow down my cheeks again. I hugged him with all my might. "Mizu!" I yelled as I hugged him. "I thought you died…" I said as I dug my face into his chest and cried. "I wouldn't die without saying good bye… I'd never leave without saying goodbye to you." He said as he stroked my hair.


	8. The Land of Rivers and no food

**Chapter 8**

**Suna**

I stood there hugging Mizu for who knows how long. Gaara cleared his throat, breaking the silence. I blushed and stepped back from Mizu. "Well if you two are done let's get going…" He said, pointing behind him down a pathway. I stood beside Gaara and lighted the pathway with my fire. We walked for while with my hand flaming, until we reached a part of the path that had torches lining the walls. I lighted the torches then the fire in my hand burnt out. Gaara led the way while Mizu and I followed behind. I looked at Mizu while we walked. "How exactly did you survive?" I asked. He held my hand and looked into my eyes. "Like I said before… I couldn't leave without saying goodbye…" he said with a smile. I just wore the same expression for the longest time. After walking for what was probably was 7 hours. We reached a cave opening, revealing a wet country side below. Gaara stopped for a minute and looked through his bag. Me and Mizu sat down and admired the view while Gaara continued searching through his bag. After a while Gaara found what he was looking for and turned towards us. "Alright guys… Put these on…" He said handing us two long dark blue cloaks. "We're in the Land of Rivers now aren't we?" Mizu asked. "Yes." Responded Gaara. I put on my cloak and began to walk down the path way towards the country side. Mizu led the way through the small farming village and we continued walking across a bland flat of land and rivers. We went on like this for a couple days. The weather had been fairly nice and it was raining for the first time in days. Mizu moaned. "We're out of package food!" He complained. "We'll have to go back to that town we saw a couple days ago and get supplies." Gaara stated. "No way." I said bluntly. "We are too far away from there… plus we'd just be wasting time." I stated. I threw off my cloak, leaving it by the fire pit. Mizu stood up. "Where are you going?" He asked. " For swim." I said with a smirk as I looked over my shoulder towards him. I pulled off my skirt and tank top to be in my short leggings and a tube top. I started taking steps into the river right next to our camp. Oh, cold. I continued taking steps until I was in the middle of the river. I stood there facing the current. It beated against my face. I watched s fish swam towards and past me. I closed my eyes and focused my chakra. I felt the fire building inside me. I felt the dome expand and burn the fish that came in contact with it. I stood there in harmony. I opened my eyes after a while, I released the dome and grabbed the fish that had be cooked by the fire. I began to walk out of the water to see that Gaara and Mizu were gone…


	9. Where did the guys go?

**Chapter 9**

**Gaara**

I watched Suna enter the water. I snapped my head to the side and squinted my eyes. "Mizu!" I called out. Mizu was beside me in under a second.. "What is it Gaara-sempai?" He asked. "we have company!" I said as I stood up and grabbed my gourd. I slung the gourd over my shoulder and began to run towards the forest. Mizu ran beside me. "Who is it?" He asked. "Sound ninjas." I said simply as we ran. We quickly reached the edge of the forest where the sound ninjas stood. "Well, well, well… If it isn't the Kazekage… What are you doing in a place like this?" A tall buff ninja asked. "I should ask you the same question." I said bluntly. "Simple." He said. "We're here to break the alliance between the wind country and fire country…" He said with a smirk. I unleashed my sand, surrounding their lower bodies in sand, making them immobile. "And how do you plan to do that?" I asked. "Simple. We lop off her head!" A tall skinny girl said as she through her sword in the general direction of our camp. Mizu blocked it by sticking his sword in it's path. The sword drop to the ground and made a clattering sound. She attempted to reach for it but she wasn't able to. "Mizu? Would you care to do the honours?" I asked gesturing for Mizu to take care of them. Mizu stepped forward and sliced their heads off in one swift movement. I Released their bodies from my sand and began to walk back towards out camp. I noticed the rain had stopped and when I arrived at our camp There was a fire Fish on glass plates and a glass fort. Suna walked out of the glass fort and sat down in front of the fire. "Hey guys… Where'd you go?" She asked innocently. "We were attacked." I stated. "Oh… are you guys okay?" She asked as she placed fish on a couple more glass plates. "Yes we're fine." I said as I sat down. "Where'd the glass come from?" Asked Mizu. "I made it." Suna said with a smile. "How?" Mizu continued. "With my chakra… I have sand and fire… Sand plus fire makes glass" She explained. "Why's you make the fort and everything?" I asked. "Well you've been using all your chakra to make shelters for practically all the trip so far… I thought I'd do it for once." She said. "I've never seen you smile so much." Said Mizu. Suna smiled and said thank you. After a filling meal of fish we chatted for hours until the sun began to fall. Suna stood up. "I'll show you guys our shelter." She said with a smile. She led us into the glass building. I walked over to the far wall where a small one person room was. "I'll take this room." I said simply. I heard Suna make a nervous mumbling sound in the room next to mine. "Don't worry Suna… I'll share a room with you since Gaara's being greedy." I heard him say with happiness and a joking attitude in his voice. I shrugged it off and set my gourd in the corner and pulled a blanket out of my bag to lie down. I heard Suna and Mizu begin to talk in the next room…


	10. Talking till the moon is high

**Chapter 10**

**Suna**

I sat across the room from Mizu and stared out the glass wall looking up at the rising moon. "So why did your father name you after a sand storm?" He asked. I sighed. I knew he'd eventually ask this question. "One the day I was born there was a devastating sand storm, it killed many… My mother didn't want me to be named after a natural disaster… But my father insisted… And honestly that name has been the story of my life…" I said looking down at the sandy ground. "How so?" He asked. He was so damn persistent. I sighed. "well… when I was young something happened… something bad… something devastating…" I said avoiding the question. "What happened?" he asked. I sighed again. "Stop sighing it gets annoying…" he said with a smile as he picked up my chin. "Well when I entered the ninja academy they made us do an exercise to channel our chakras… but my chakra over loaded and…" I stopped there. "What?" He asked curiously. "Well… do you remember… The day that there was fire?" I asked. "No… I didn't live in Sunagakure at the time…" He said. I sighed. "The school caught on fire… No one ever talked to me after that…" I said looking at the ground. I was caught off guard by what he did next. He hugged me. "Don't worry… It wasn't your fault… They were cruel children to not talk to you because of that… If I had lived in the village at the time I would still have talked to you." He whispered in my ear. I pushed him away. "I doubt you would talk to me when you almost died because of my high amount of chakra being uncontrollable?" I said with an emotion almost similar to anger. I saw the sand in Gaara's room pound against the glass. Apparently we were being loud. "don't be angry…" He said as he brushed away a lock of my hair. I sighed and looked out the glass wall towards the moon. I noticed the moon was high and bright. I pulled my blanket over myself and lied parallel to the glass wall. "Night Mizu…" I said through a yawn. "Night." He responded. I closed my eyes and basked in the moon light as I drifted off into the state of dream.


	11. I don't like you Mizu

**Chapter 11**

**Gaara**

Once they finally stopped talking I rested for the remainder of the night. I awoke in the morning and walked out of my room and into their's. I noticed Suna was lying parallel to the wall while Mizu was at the other end of the room. I sighed. Suna had probably wanted us guys to share a room. Oops. "Wake up guys." I said bluntly, breaking the silence. Suna stirred awake pretty easily but Mizu slept like a log. He was close enough to me so I kicked him. He still didn't wake up. I turned towards him so I could get a better kick. I kicked a bit harder this time. He just rolled over, didn't wake up. I was getting annoyed. I swung my leg back to try once more. I swung my leg forward. My foot went through his stomach. I sighed. I took my gourd off my back and held it above him. I dropped it on him. He learched awake at that. "What the heck? Do I come dropping heavy things on you while you sleep? Nooooo!" He yelled. I stood there unfazed. "You wouldn't wake up. It's time to go… We can only stay in the Land of Rivers for so long…" I stated as I picked up my gourd. "Some friend you are." I heard him mutter. "Did I ever say we were friends? No. Plus… It would be wise not to enter an emotional barrier such as love." I recoiled.

He was taken aback by what I had just said. "I…I…I don't… love her…" He stammered out. Suna stood up, apparently she had been getting ready to go the whole time. Suna and I walked out of the room. "We leave in 10." I called back. Suna didn't bother waiting for us, she just began walking. I followed behind her. Even though Mizu would have been the best one to lead here, Suna took command. We walked for hours before we came to a bridged area. Suna began to cross without thinking. It was if she had walked this bridge a million times and knew exactly which planks were faulty. I followed behind and Mizu stayed at the back of the group. Once across the bridge we continued walking for hours before it began to rain. Suna kept on trekking through the rainy mud all around her. Mizu fell behind many times and we had to wait for him to catch up. While we were waiting for Mizu for the 17th time Suna turned to me. "Thank you." She said with a smile. I would have asked what she was thanking me for, but Mizu caught up at that moment and Suna began walking again. After trekking through the rain for about two days we reached the border line between the Land of Rivers and Fire Country. We decided to set up camp and sleep the night out after our journey. Suna couldn't make her glass because the rain kept putting out her fire, so Mizu made himself useful for once. Truly I despised Mizu, He was really annoying and always lost track of what the mission truly was. We spent the night there and the next morning the rain had given up for the day. We continued to travel until we were almost right to the border. The rain had started up again during our travel and it was pouring down quite hard now. We reached the border and crossed into Fire Country. We continued walking until we became tired. The rain had let up again so Suna said she'd make the fort today. She clapped her hands together with force and a fort quickly rose out of the ground, But I could tell there was something wrong. The fort was the size of a normal house. I looked over to where Suna was, as if to see why she was making such a big fort. I saw her begin to all and I instinctively released the sand to catch her. What was wrong?


	12. You're a friend, you're family

**Chapter 12**

**Suna**

I clapped my hands together, commencing my most useful genjutsu, to build the fort but as it rose out of the ground I could tell something was wrong. I couldn't tell what was wrong though, my vision was blurred and I was loosing the feeling in my arms and legs. By the time it had fully risen I couldn't feel anything and my all I could see was black. I didn't even feel myself fall to the ground. I awoke at some point, I'm not sure when. I looked around to see that I was in a large room. I looked more carefully as my vision returned to see Gaara leaned against the wall with his head down. My throat was soar and my head hurt. "G…Gaa…Gaara?" I asked through my painful throat. His head rose and he looked towards me. "How do you feel?" He asked. I tried to sit up but my body was weak and I couldn't sit up. "Don't strain yourself." He said simply. "What happened to me?" I asked. "We're not sure but you're ill… that we're sure of…" He said without emotion in his voice. "Where is Mizu?" I asked, I wasn't sure why I cared where he was but I did slightly. "He went to the nearest town to get supplies." He stated. "Why are you here?" I asked. He sighed. "Because… Well you've grown on me…" He said with his hand to his forehead. "Huh?" I said confused. "I used to think of you as just someone important to the alliance between Fire Country and Wind Country… But now I think of you as more of a friend, almost a sister at times…" He said as he looked everywhere but at me. "I don't get it…" I said feebly. "I would call you a friend, even a sister…" He explained. "Why?" I asked. He sighed and pressed his fingers to his forehead again. "You're like a friend to me for many reasons, one… You're a lot less annoying then Mizu… two… You set your priorities properly… And three… You're fun to be around…" He said with a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. "I'm glad you consider me a friend…" I said. His head instantly shot up at that. "You're lucky to know what it is like to have a family who loves you…" I continued. "Well you will know…" He responded. This confused me and I tried to sit up to get more comfortable than I was on the glass floor. "How so?" I asked as I attempted to sit up. "Well Temari and Konkuro consider you a friend, even family… you could always spend time with us when we return to Sunagakure…" He said. A smile began to spread across my face when I heard this. "Thank you… for giving me a new family…" I said before I fell back asleep.


	13. It's your fault

**Chapter 13**

**Mizu**

I came back with the herbs to find Gaara resting against the wall of Suna's room. "How is she?" I asked as I set the herbs on the floor. "Better." He said simply. "Is that all of it?" He asked. "Yeah." I said as I handed him the herbs. He created a bowl out of his sand. He began to crush the herbs, and every once in a while he had me add some water. We mixed the herbs like this for a while. He suddenly stopped and looked up at me with anger and distaste in his eyes. "Do you know why she's ill?" He asked. I was taken aback by this. "No… But why? Should I know why?" I asked defensively. "Yes. You should." He said sourly. "It's because of you, and your constant breaks because your damn sword was too heavy… Why do you use such a sword when you can't carry it?" He asked angrily. I just stayed quiet and looked down. I could feel his anger and distaste literally emanating off him. "Why do you care so much?" I asked, breaking the silence. He sighed. "Because She is like a friend to me…" He said as he continued to crush the herbs. "And you told me not to get attached to her?" I asked with a smirk. His shot up and his eyes showed pure hate. "I'm not falling in love with her! I see her as a friend, or a sister! I'm not interfering with the mission like you!" He said. He punched me in the face sending flying across the room crashing into the wall. I slowly sat up from the heap crashed in shards of glass. Suna broke out into a violent coughing fit. Our view went straight to her as we tried to see if she was ok. I Gave her some water from my canteen will Gaara checked her temperature. "Don't worry Suna… We're almost done the mixture…" Gaara said as he pressed his wrist to her forehead. "Do you want some more water?" I asked. She shook her head and began to drift back to sleep. We stepped away and started mixing the herbs again. Gaara still wore an expression of distaste. "How am I interfering with the mission?" I asked after a while. His head shot up like earlier. "By falling in love with her and in turn her liking you, it sets us back in time…" He explained. "Are you sure you're not just jealous?" I said teasingly. His eyes showed more than pure hate, his expression looked like he wanted to kill me or something. "Shut it before I kill you…" He said through clenched teeth. "I'm right!" I said shocked as I fell backwards. "No." He said simply. "I really hate you, you know…" He continued. I smirked as I sat back up. He finished crushing the herbs and added some more water. He gently nudged Suna awake and helped her sit up so she could drink. She didn't drink it at first but she quickly gulped it down. "It tasted like seaweed…" She said sourly. I chuckled. She looked towards me with a grumpy face. "It's not supposed to taste like bubble gum…" Said Gaara as he helped her lie back down. "We'll leave after the sun goes down…" He said after she fell back asleep. I rested against the opposite wall from Gaara. Night fall came and at that point we packed everything up. Gaara took my sword and placed the handle within his gourd. "Carry the gourd." He said as He picked up Suna and placed her on his back and placing a cloak over her. "Let's go… we only have so long before the herbs wear off…" He said as he started to run through the trees towards Konoha…


	14. A bad dream

**Chapter 14**

**Suna**

I awoke to the sun on my back and crimson hair rubbing against my cheek. My voice was slurred, but I attempted to ask a question. I'm not sure what the question was myself anymore. I looked around and saw grass below me, but I wasn't on the ground either. I looked to my left to see trees and when I tried to look to my right I saw someone's neck. I was really confused now and my head began to spin. Where was I? Where were Mizu and Gaara? Who is carrying me? Where am I being taken? Will I ever see my Village again? Will I live another day? I suddenly felt someone stroke my hair and hush me. "Everything will be okay…" Said a male voice. I couldn't tell who it was, but I was too dizzy to try and look at his face. I passed out to the rhythm of the person's steps. I awoke sometime a while later, But I wasn't on the person's back anymore. I was in a bed. I tried to sit up but I was weak and dizzy. "Don't exert yourself." I heard a voice said. I turned my head towards the voice to see someone I had feared I wouldn't see again. There in a chair beside the bed was a raged and tired Gaara. His hair was messed and the bags under his eyes were deeper than usual. He looked towards me, and when his eyes landed upon me a small smile spread across his face. I smiled slightly as well. "What happened?" I asked with a raspy voice. "You fell ill and we had to get you to Konoha as soon as we could…" He explained. I turned my head back so it was facing the ceiling. I heard some people enter the room, and I looked towards the door. I saw Mizu enter with a girl with pink hair. The girl came over towards me. "Hello Suna… I'm Sakura… I'm a medical ninja and I'll help you get better…" She said with a smile. She then turned towards Gaara. "Hello Gaara… It's been a long time hasn't it?" She asked. "Yes." He answered. Sakura smiled a bit then went about mixing some herbs in a dish to create a medicine. I sighed as I tried to fall back asleep again. I laid there for a while unable to sleep, but eventually I drifted off into sleep.

_**(Suna's Dream)**_

(_**Gaara**__)____(Suna) _(_Mizu_)

_**Why? Why are you toying with us?**_

_I'm not!_

_Yes you are Suna… Stop messing with out love… _

_**I don't like being treated like a voodoo doll…**_

_(cry) stop it you guys! Why are you saying these things?_

_Because they're true!_

_No they're not! What makes you think that?_

_**You like me…**_

_Yet you like me…_

_No I don't!_

_Then who do you like?_

_I… Don't know…_

_**Don't lie… You can't like us both…**_

_You have to choose…_

_I can't!_

_Then you admit you like us both?_

_Stop twisting my words!_

_**Stop twisting around me like thorny vines…**_

_STOP IT! _

_**(End of dream)**_

I shot up out of bed, breath heavy and tears running down my face. Gaara shot up awake from the chair he had been in. "What's wrong?" He asked in a hushed voice. It took me a minute to get my breathing in check. Once. I was breathing normally and the tears had stopped I looked towards him. His eyes were gentle and worried. I shook my head. "Just a bad dream…" I said. "What happened in the dream?" He asked. "uh… Can we talk about it another time?" I asked. He nodded his head and stroked the hair from my sweaty forehead. He returned to his chair and rested there. I sat there in the black room for a moment before I lied back down and started to drift off again…


	15. Meeting with the Hokage

**Chapter 15**

**Tsunade**

I rhythmically clacked my nails against the desk while I waited. Shizune entered my office with her hands together as almost always. "The jounin are here to see you now…" she said. "Let them in…" I said waving my hand lazily. I watched as three 15 year old jounin entered my office and approached the desk. "Hello Hokage…" The crimson haired one said. "Hello… And who might you be?" I asked. "I am the Kazekage…" He responded. "Oh. Well welcome…" I said as I sat up. "And who are you?" I asked looking at the blue haired boy at the other end of the group. "I am Mizu Hoshi Lady Hokage…" He said with a slight bow. I smirked at how courteous he was. I then turned to the girl in the middle, she had crimson hair with yellow tinted tips. "And who are you missy?" I asked. "I am Princess Suna Ikari Arashi…" She said as she bowed. Where had I heard that name before? "We are here on a peace mission from Sunagakure in order to retain the alliance with the fire country…" stated the crimson haired boy. "Before we speak of this… What is your name Kazekage?" I asked. "I am Gaara…" He answered. "Okay… well how are you planning to complete this mission?" I asked wondering how exactly they were going to retain the alliance. The girl stepped forward. "As I said before… I am Suna Ikari Arashi of Sunagakure… My father is the lord… Lord Arashi came here many years ago and married a women of the fire country… They had one child… I am that child… I symbolize the alliance between Fire country and wind country… As a show of alliance I have returned to my birth village of Konoha and to speak with you…" She said with confidence. "Who was your mother again?" I asked. "Hikari Yakusoku." She said. "Ooooh…." I said "I remember that women… Always smiling… She saw everything in a positive light…" I said with a smile while I rested my chin on my hands. "Welcome back to Konoha Suna…" I said with a smile as I out stretched my hand towards her. She shook my hand and I could tell that she was positive… Just like her mother…


	16. Do you dream in fairy tales?

**Chapter 16**

**Suna**

I got assigned to be housed with a Konoha ninja and her family. I walked through the streets of Konoha admiring the village. I wondered why I had never visited before? It was such a beautiful village. I walked through the streets for hours and eventually ended up at a park bench. I sat down and admired the park for a while before I heard someone approach. I looked up to see a tall boy in a green jump suit and leg warmers. He had black hair and thick black eye brows. "Hey there! I'm Rock Lee!" He said with a thumbs up. He was funny in that guy way. I giggled. "Hello Lee… I'm Suna." I said with a smile. I patted the seat beside me, motioning for him to come sit. He sat down with a smile. "I haven't seen you here in Konoha… Are you new?" He asked. "I'm visiting from Sunagakure…" I responded. He wore a look of thinking or something. "I once battled someone from Sunagakure… Do you know anyone by the name of Gaara, Temari or Konkuro?" He asked. "Yes." I said with a smile. "They're my friends… Gaara's actually here in Konoha with me…" I continued. He seemed surprised by this. "Really?" He asked. "It would be quite interesting to see him again…" He continued as he entered a state of deep thought. "I could arrange that." I said with a smile. He turned to me with surprise and a huge smile. "Really? The would be amazing!" He said as he stood up and stuck a pose. I giggled and told him I'd speak with him again as I walked off. The sun began to fall and I pulled the piece of paper with the address out of my bag. I made my way to the house and knocked at the door of the house to be greeted by the same pink haired girl I has seen before at the hospital. "Oh! Hello Sakura." I said with a smile and a wave. "I guess you're my assigned house…" I said. "Oh…" She said as she opened the door to let me in. I stepped inside and thanked her. "I guess you'll share a room with me then…" She said as I took off my boots. "Okay." I said as she led me upstairs. "Hey… I met someone today… You might know him… His name was Rock Lee…" I said as we entered the room. "Oh… Lee… Yeah… He's annoying…" She said as she sat down. We talked for a while before we were called down for dinner. After dinner we went back up to her room and talked before we went to bed. "Hey Sakura?" I spoke out into the darkness. "Yes Suna?" She responded. "Do you ever dream in fairy tales?" I asked. "I don't understand…" She stated. "Do you ever wish you could have someone when you have someone else?" I asked. She was silent for a while before she responded. "Yes… I've lived like that for a long time…" She said. "I'm glad someone understands…" I said into the dark. "Me too…" She said back to me. "Night Sakura…" I said through a yawn. "Night Suna." She called back. I quickly drifted into sleep after that…


	17. Just the best day ever

**Chapter 17**

**Suna**

I awoke and got dressed in a pair of full length leggings an over sized red T-shirt and a pair of flip-flops. After breakfast I wandered around town for a while before I came up with an idea of what to do. Lee had wanted to meet Gaara! I decided to try and track down Lee. I asked a couple people but didn't get any information, so I went for a walk through the forest. While walking through the trees I heard a pounding sound. I stopped and looked around for what that sound could be. I looked around a tree to see Lee. He was on a crutch and was beating the tree. I ran towards him a little. "Lee? What happened?" I asked as I approached. He turned towards me with tears and determination in his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked. "Lee? It's me Suna… We met at the park yesterday… What happened to you? Last I saw you, you were fine…" I explained. "I wasn't at the park yesterday…" He said. "Huh? But I saw you there… You said you wanted to meet Gaara again…" I continued. "I don't think so… Someone must have commenced a transformation jutsu…" He said. "Oh…" I said defeated. There was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "What happened?" I asked him. "I was injured… I have spinal fragmentations…" He said looking at the ground. "Oh… I really do hope you get better… I'm sure you will work through this…" I said comfortingly. "Well… I guess I should be going now…" I said after a moment. "Yeah…" He responded. "Bye Lee." I said as I slowly walked off. What to do now? Hmm… I wandered through the village again until I found myself in an alley way or somewhere like that… I looked around to figure out which way was back, but couldn't figure it out. "Did you get lost?" I heard a voice say. I looked up to the tree behind me to see Gaara standing upside down from a branch. "Hey." I said with a smile. He turned to sand then reappeared in front of me. "What are you doing?" He asked. "I got bored and went wandering…" I said as I shrugged my shoulders. "Then I got lost." I said nervously scratching the back of my head. He sighed. "I'm hungry! Wanna come get something to eat with me?" I asked. "Sure." He said simply. I grabbed his hand and began to run back towards the busy streets of Konoha. After a stop at a nearby restaurant we walked around. Eventually I found myself sitting in a tree admiring the wildlife with him. "Where's your gourd?" I asked when I noticed he didn't have it. "I left it at my host house…" He said with his arms behind his head. "You're laid back mood." I said with a smirk. "Yeah…" He responded. I looked down the paved walk way below, to see to little kids. They were holding hands and eating candy. I jumped out of the tree and landed in front of them. I kneeled down to be more at their height. "Hi there." I said with a smile and a little wave. "Hi." Said the little purple haired girl. "Where'd you get the candy?" I asked pointing to the candy in her hand. "Oh… At the festival." She answered. "Really? There's a festival? Cool… did you see many people my age?" I asked pointing to myself. "Uh huh!" Answered the little boy. "There were lots more people your age than ours." He stated. "Cool… Maybe I'll go check out the festival…" I said thinking to myself. "Well thank you I said with another wave before I stood up and jumped back into the tree. "What was that about?" He asked. "I wanted to know where they got the candy…" I responded with a smile. "You got a sweet tooth?" He asked. "Yeah…" I said back. "And where did they get the candy?" He asked. "Some festival…" I said lazily. "Wanna go?" I asked excitedly. "I don't know…" He said avoiding answering my question. I pouted grumpily. "You're a party pooper." I stated as I crossed my arms. "Well I'm going whether you come or not!" I said as I jumped out of the tree. He didn't notice I had stolen his wallet till I had made it all the way to the festival. I was about to buy a sucker when he came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. "Ehem?" He said. I turned around embarrassed. "Eh heh heh…" I said as I handed over the wallet. "you're gonna make be go broke." He stated. "I only stole it to get you to come." I said with a smile. "Mission accomplished." I said with a smirk. "Haha… You still want that?" He asked pointing to the sucker I was about to by. "Kinda…" I said shuffling my feet. He handed the sucker to me. "Huh?" I said confused. "I'm buying it for you… You're right about one thing… When's the next time we'll be in Konoha? Why not have fun while we're here." He said with a smile. I smiled back and toke his hand as we wandered through the festivities. Somewhere along our adventure I stopped paying attention, and the next thing I knew Gaara was piggy backing me to Sakura's house. "I can walk on my own two feet…" I stated with a giggle as he put me down. I walked a few wobbly steps then when I almost tripped Gaara grabbed me. "Doesn't look like it." He said with a smirk as he put me back on his back. He piggy backed me the rest of the way until we were at the door of Sakura's house. I got off his back and knocked at the door before I turned around to say my goodnights. "Night Gaara! I'll see you at the banquet tomorrow…" I said with a smile. "See you tomorrow…" He responded as he handed me a small bag. "What's this?" I asked as I took it from his hand. "The stuff we got at the festival…" He said with a smile. Right then the door opened behind me. I turned around and smiled at Sakura. I walked in and then peeked out the door once more to see him walking down the street. "Night Gaara!" I called with a little wave. "Night!" He called back. "What happened to you?" Sakura asked. "Just the best day ever…" I said with a giggle and a smile.


	18. Such a beautiful night

**Chapter 18**

**Mizu**

Since Gaara's freak out at me days ago I had avoided him and Suna as much as possible, but I wouldn't be able to hide from them today. Today was the day of the banquet and I had to go as one of her guards. I sat in the room with some guy named Shikamaru and we lied around lazily for about half the day. When we were called down for lunch we went down to see that Gaara was waiting in the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be guarding Princess Suna?" I asked as I placed a piece of rice in my mouth. "No… She is with the Hokage today…" He stated as he placed some rice in his mouth. "So you're here for lunch since you have nothing better to do?" I asked not really caring. "No. I'm here to make sure you don't end up late for it…" He stated. I sighed. After lunch I went up stairs and got ready for the banquet. I came down and there was Gaara in some fancy get up. "Well you sure are all fancy." I said with a slight smirk. "Don't smirk it'll make your make up crack." He said as he raised his head with a smirk. "Make up? This coming from the one wearing eye liner!" I called back. "It's from insomnia!" He yelled back as he stood up. Shikamaru's mother stood between us with a look of determination. "Stop it you two!" He said firmly. Gaara lowered his hand and then looked to her. "Thank you for having me for lunch." He said emotionlessly. He walked outside and walked off. "Pht. Coward…" I muttered. Shikamaru just shook his head. "Don't pick a fight with him…" he said. I nodded and began to walk towards the banquet. Walking through Konoha, on my way to the banquet I banged into someone. We both fell to our butts. "Hey!" I heard a female voice say sourly. I looked up to see a beautiful girl. She had long purple hair and wore a dark purple kimono with a light purple sash. "Oh… I'm sorry…" I said as I stood up then helped her up. "whatever…" She muttered as she dusted herself off. "Are you on your way to the banquet?" I asked. "Yes… Who are you?" She asked. "I'm Mizu Hoshi…" I said with a smile. "I see…" She said looking me up and down. "Well… I'm Warui Chi-Ai…" She said as she held out her hand to shake mine. I smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Warui… May I escort you to the banquet?" I asked as I held out my hand. She wrapped her arm around mine. "Gladly." She said with a giggle and a smile. I smiled as we walked towards the banquet. At the banquet Warui went up to the guards and presented a pass of some sort. "Come on." She said with a smile as she grabbed my hand and led me past the guards. Past the guards there were a set of stairs that we walked up. Once at the top of the stairs I saw five chairs. In the middle there was a blonde women, who I assumed was the Hokage. Beside her, on the left was Suna with Gaara at the edge. Warui sat on the other side of The blonde women and I sat at the end of the row. A Jounin announced for the crowds below to quiet. He then introduced the Hokage and as he stepped away the blonde women in the middle seat stood up and stepped forward. "Hello people of Konoha!" She said. "As many of you know we have an existing alliance with the Wind Country… And to represent this alliance are two young women… May I present Suna Ikari Arashi and Warui Shiken Chi-Ai!" She said raising her arms. Suna and Warui stood up and stepped forward while the Hokage stepped back and sat down. They both were in kimonos. Warui in her dark purple with a light purple sash, and Suna with her dark red kimono and crimson sash. "Hello people of Konoha!" Suna announced. The crowd became hushed. "As you may see… Me and Princess Suna are very similar…" Warui stated. "My father is a lord in the village of Sunagakure…" Said Suna. "And my father is a lord here in Konoha…" Warui continued. "My mother of Sunagakure…" Said Warui. "And mine of Konoha…" Suna continued. "We were born in each other's villages… And live in each other's birth village…" They said in unison. "We represent the bond and alliance of our countries!" They said more loudly, in unison again. The crowd erupted with cheers and they returned to their seats. The Hokage approached the spot where the girls had been again and hushed the crowd. "Now… Please enjoy the food and music!" She announced before the crowd erupted again. "Hurray for Princess Suna and Princess Warui!" The crowd called out. Soon the music was playing and people were dancing. I was dancing with Warui before there was a tap on my shoulder. I slowed and stopped to see Gaara standing there with his hand out stretched. "May I have this next dance?' he asked Warui. "Where's Suna?" I asked him. "Dancing with the others… You could ask her to dance if you wanted…" He explained. I let go of Warui's hand and gave her a smile. "I'll be back for another dance." I said before I walked off looking for Suna. I made why way through the crowd to see her gracefully dancing with some guy. She looked so much more beautiful up close when I got a good look at her. I wondered why she never wore kimonos much. I approached her near the end of the song. "May I have this next dance?" I asked. She nodded and we danced to a graceful melody. And this was truly a beautiful night…


	19. Flash Back: Kurai Korosu

**Chapter 19**

**Suna**

I lay there in Sakura's room being lazy in my leggings and over sized red T-shirt. There was a knock at the door and I sat up to see that Mizu had entered. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I sat cross legged on the futon. "I need to talk to you…" He said solemnly as he sat down in front of me. "What's wrong?" I asked innocently. He seemed so down compared to how he usually was, it was almost ominous… He sighed and avoided my eyes. "I know you're having trouble deciding…" He said, still avoiding my gaze. I was shocked and my eyes went wide. I looked away from him. Had he known the whole time? Did he know that I liked both him and Gaara? How had he found out? I avoided his gaze as well now. I sighed and looked down at my hands. "How did you know?" I asked feebly. "It was obvious…" I said. I felt a tear run down my cheek as I felt like I had been a totally horrible person. I sighed. "How obvious?" I asked without emotion in my voice, which was really ironic considering how many emotions were running through my head. "Quite." Was all he said. I felt another tear run down my face. He wiped away the tear and for a second I forgot what kind of chat we were having. I instantly regretted it. I looked away and wiped away my tear. I stayed there looking out the window for a while before I sighed. I turned towards him with a fake smile. "Well… I hope Warui likes you as much as I do…" I said with that same fake smile. He kissed my cheek then stood up. "Thank you…" He said with a smile. "And I hope it works out for you and Gaara…" He said as he started to walk towards the door. I nodded, but as soon as he was gone and the door was closed I flopped face first onto the bed and cried into the pillow for sometime. Every once in a while I screamed into the pillow. I stopped at some point part way through the evening. I sat up and pulled my MNCP out. It was a simple black hand held computer that could monitor medical info about a person without having to be attached to them. I pressed one of the buttons on the said and the screen light up and went green quickly as it began to show my heartbeat. I sighed, my heartbeat was irregular still. I couldn't face people in my current state. I pulled on my pair of ninja boots. I tied my forehead protector around my left thigh, and tied my hair back into a loos pony tail and left my bangs dangling loosely. I slowly and carefully opened the window so it wouldn't make a noise. I stepped out onto the roof and grabbed my hip sack off the desk by the window. I closed the window behind me and walked along the roof till I reached the edge. I sat down there and looked at the moon for a while. I pulled my MNCP out of my hip sack and looked at the time. It was about 1 in the morning. I sighed and put it back into my hip sack and looked back up towards the moon. A cloud was blocking part of the moon but I noticed something else as well. Something that was on a far off roof. I squinted trying to see what it was. Was it an animal? Or maybe a person? The thing began to turn in my direction. I gasped when I saw it's eyes. The were a crimson red and ominous to a point that I felt shivers and it was far off. No where near me. Yet so threatening. I stumbled trying to get away from it. I back up and eventually managed to get up turn around and run. I ran with true fear motivating me to run so hard. I continued to run and run and even when I was so tired I could no longer run I still tried to run. I had run over about three roofs and eventually jumped down onto the streets below. I continued to run as I began to lose my footing and eventually fell onto the street. I grunted and got back up. I began to run again until I was at the edge of Konoha. I didn't think about whether I should stay within the walls of the village, I just kept running. I ended up in the forest. I ran deep into the dark forest until I couldn't move anymore. I stood up with a tree against my back and stared out into the dark where I had come from. Some I heard a sinister chuckle. The thing was a person. A guy to be specific, he was about my age. His hair was midnight black and his eyes were crimson red. He wore a sinister smirk as he approached me. I backed up against the tree and started to inch around the tree so I could make a clear get away. He chuckled again. "My… My…" He said with a smirk. "Suna… Has it been that you've forgotten me?" He continued. I felt sweat trickle down my face as I slowly attempted to inch around the tree. I kept inching till I got a cramp. "Damn…" I muttered. "Hehe… you could always run fast for a long period of time, but you were always very sore afterwards… I geuss you never took my advice about that…" He said shaking his head. "Who… Who… Who are you?" I stuttered. He sighed. "Suna… How can you not remember me?" He asked simply. "I was your best friend… before your father removed you from my squad… Remember team 3?" He asked. I just stood there, images flashing through my head. Team three: Suna, Jikan, Uta-sensei…and Kurai…" My eyes went wide and my body froze up. Kurai… He had been my best friend, my comrade, and my first boyfriend… I just stood there staring into his crimson eyes… They had been pink when we were young. I remembered one time with him.

_**Flash Back**_

(sitting on bench with Kurai)

***Giggle***

What?

**Nothing… I was just thinking how your eyes remind me of the cherry blossoms on the Arashi estate.**

(blush)

He… He… 

(Poke Kurai's cheek)

**Kurai?**

Yeah?

**Why are you so silent when it's just us?**

(blush)

Well…. You see… Hey Suna? Can I ask you something?

**(smile)**

**Only if you'll answer mine…**

Okay… well… Suna? Would you like to go get lunch sometime?

**(Blush)**

**Umm…. Okay…**

**(Smile)**

Great! Because the reason I'm so silent is because… well… I like you a lot Suna… And I'm just afraid I'll make it awkward…

(Nervous smile)

**(giggle)**

**Kurai… you're my best friend and you always will be…**

**(smile)**

_**End of flash back**_

He stepped towards me and I was still frozen in my spot. He came so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. "I'm not going to hurt you…" He whispered into my ear. His whisper made me shiver. The next thing I knew he was kissing me. I was still frozen in my spot, and couldn't comprehend what was happening for a moment. As soon as I could comprehend what was happening I pushed him off. He smirk and licked his lip. I shuddered with disgust. I felt myself becoming angry to a point that the flames and sand were already mixing to create glass needles. The needles flew towards him, but he dodged them and jumped into tree across from mine. He smirked and then he was gone. I shuddered with distaste. I slowly walked back towards Konoha. Once I was there I laid on the roof of a tall building and soon fell asleep.


	20. Voices on the Rooftops

**Chapter 20**

**Mizu**

I wasn't able to sleep all that night so I spent it staring at the stars. Partway through the night I heard someone approaching. I turned around to see Gaara walking across the roof towards me. He stood there beside me with a blanch expression in the silence for a while. I just sat there, wondering what was going on for him to come here. I sighed. "What is it?" I asked him. He looked towards me. I felt a slight shiver run down my spine. "Someone else is here…" He said blankly before suddenly disappearing in a swirl of sand. I just sat there for a while. At about 3:30 am I headed back to Shikamaru's. I slept the rest of the night through, but come morning I was restless. I walked out of his house before anyone was up and I just wondered around Konoha for a while before I heard something. I looked all around the street I was in but didn't see anyone. I checked the shops but they were all closed. Then I heard it again. Two voices, one male, one female. I looked up towards the roofs. I could here them, they were up there. I heard muffled words, then tears. I sighed and wondered off again.

* * *

**Author's Note: hey people! sorry for the short chapter XD have a bit of a writer's block... and i've currently come down with a fever :( new chapter soon though...**


	21. She's Awake

**Chapter 21**

**Suna**

I awoke when I heard a thump on the roof top. I slowly, and groggily, sat up to see my favourite red head( granted he's the only red head I'd ever met) sitting next to me. "Nnnn… What are you doing here?" I asked trying to seem normal. He sat there blank faced for a while, just looking at the sun rise. I forced him to face me. "What are you doing here?" I asked in a more serious tone. He looked me straight in the eye for what felt like forever, I felt like shivering. "Someone's following you… It's my mission to protect you…" He said blankly. "Just doin' my job." He said with a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. "Yeah… I know someone's following' me… He trapped me last night…" I said looking down as I dropped my hands from his face. I couldn't see, but some how I knew his eyes were bulging out. "What?" He almost yelled. "I used to know him… Back when I was in the academy, and when I was in a squad…" I said still looking down. "Wait… You know you're follower?" He asked. I sighed. "Yes. His name is Kurai Korosu… He was in my squad back when I was in the academy…" I said looking down at my hands. "He liked me… But I liked someone else… He didn't know I liked someone else though… He was enraged when my father removed me from the squad because Our team mate was killed in action…" I explained. "What did he say last night?" He asked after a moment of silence. I sighed. "I didn't recognize him at first so he attempted to remind me of him… Once I remembered, he told me just how much he hated my father… Them He attempted to kiss me…" I said, I wouldn't tell him that he actually did kiss me because I knew Kurai would be dead in a second. I sat there in silence, waiting for Gaara's response. Waited and waited, but nothing came. I eventually looked up to see something I had never expected. He was just sitting there, staring at me with his eyes bulged out. I waved my hand in front of his face, but got no response. "Gaara?" I said quietly. "Are you alright?" I asked. He just sat there for a moment, not moving. I reached for his wrist, making sure there was a pulse. There was a pulse, but it was irregular. I felt myself loosen control.

**She is awake. **

I began to panic as I lost feeling of his pulse. I wanted to yell and as I was about to yell his name I felt my self choking. But what was doing this to me? I knew, but no one else did except the Konoha medical nin who is responsible for it… My sight went blurry and I felt tears running down my face. I was internally screaming, as I couldn't physically scream. I don't know what happened next but everything was red, I was floating through nothing, yet I was floating through something. I tried to fight this but was unable. I just floated, For what felt like forever…


	22. Whining Won't Work

Chapter 22

Suna

**I awoke quite uncomfortable. "Nnnn." I said in pain as I tried to sit up. A women walked over with a worried look. "Oh! Don't push yourself!" She said as she put her hand in such a way as to tell me to lie back down. "No! I have to get up!" I yelled. I looked around to see I was in a hospital room. "Why am I in a hospital?" I yelled. "A ninja found you and one other passed out on a rooftop with irregular heart beats…" She explained. That's when it all came back to me. I felt my eyes bug out and I attempted to get out of the bed. "Where is he?" I asked the women. "He was in here until a few hours ago, he barged out of here as well…" She said with worry on her face. "Where did he go?" I asked simply. "To the Hokage I believe…" She said. I looked around the room for my clothes, seeing as I was in hospital pyjamas. "Where are my clothes?" I asked. "They were shredded beyond repair…" She said blankly. "We have a spare pair of clothing you can wear though…" She said after that. "Okay…" I said hoping it wasn't a dress. About a half a hour later I was wearing the spare clothes and walking out of the hospital. "Just my luck…" I muttered as I stepped out into the cold wind. "Stupid hospital… stupid spare clothing… all they have is a stupid dress… damn world…" I muttered as I walked down the street. I arrived at the Hokage's office just as someone was leaving. I accidentally bumped into him when I was looking for either Gaara or Mizu. I landed hard on my butt. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" I yelled rubbing my head. I looked up to see that the person I had bumped into was the one person I needed to speak to. "G-Gaara!" I blurted out dumbly. He grunted slightly due to the fact he fell down just as hard. "S-S-Sorry Gaara-Sempai…" I stuttered out as I looked down to hide the slight blush spreading across my face. I heard a small chuckle escape his lips. I looked up at him to see why he was chuckling. "Why are you laughing suddenly?" I asked a little smug. "I just realized something…" He said with a smile. I wasn't sure what he meant. "Whadya mean?" I asked. "Oh nothing." He said with a smile as he stood up. I stood up, still wanting to know what he meant. "What!?!?" I almost whined. "Nothing." He said with a smirk. "Tell me!" I whined following him down the stairs. "It's nothing don't worry about it." He said with a snicker. "Tell me!!!" I whined. I had been too focused on finding out what he was talking about I didn't notice how cold the air was outside. He turned around after me asking for the twentieth time. He suddenly looked away. "What's wrong?" I asked him wondering what it was now. "Nothing…" He said in more of a stuttery voice. I forced him to face me. "What is it now?" I asked grumpily. "Oh it's really nothing…" He said nervously. "Tell me…" I said giving him a death glare. It soon turned into a staring contest, which I lost. "Just tell me…" I whined. "Which one? The first or second…" He asked. "There are two now?" I asked a bit annoyed. "Fine I'll tell you the second one…" He said looking down. "I just noticed you were in a dress a little bit ago…" He said looking away. "Oh…" I said looking away as well. "My clothes were shredded somehow so I had to wear the spare clothes from the hospital…" I said with a blush. We sighed in unison. "Why were you at the Hokage's office?" I asked as I walked through the streets with him. "I got a message from Sunagakure… I have to return as soon as possible…" He said blankly… "Okay…So we leave tonight then" I said with a smile. "You're glad to be heading back?" He asked. "I thought you were so glad to get away from your father?" He continued. "Yeah… but I miss the warmth of the desert…" I said with a small shiver. He chuckled slightly at that. "Well I'll pass on the message to Mizu and you go pack." He stated as He walked off. "Kay later!" I called.**


	23. Setting Off

**Chapter 23**

**Gaara**

I waited outside of Shikamaru's house. I checked the time then just sighed when I saw the time. We had to be at the gate 20 minutes ago… Just at that moment, Mizu exited the house with his pack. I looked at him, scanning. "Are you checking me out?" He asked teasingly. I sighed. "You forgot your sword…" I said putting a hand to my head. He went bug eyed for a moment before running back inside real quick. I waited another five minutes before I began to walk. I heard him yell out when he finally made his way out of the house. We walked for a few minutes in silence. "Hey Gaara?" He asked. "What?" I asked blankly. "Where's your gourd?" He asked curious. I sighed. I left it at the gate with Suna because you weren't there when we were supposed to meet, half an hour ago I might add…" I said grumpily. "Oh… Okay… Hey… Can I ask you another question?" I sighed grumpy and tired of his stupid questions. I just continued walking towards the gates. "Are you guys going out or something?" He asked, breaking the silence. I just stopped dead in my spot causing him to bump into me. He fell backwards. "Dude! Don't do that without warning!" He yelled. I just turned slightly, giving him a death glare. He was thoroughly freaked after a few seconds. "Okay… Sorry I asked…" He said as he stood up. I sighed. "No… We're not… I couldn't anyway…" I explained. He wore an expression of pure confusion. "Why couldn't you?" He prodded. "I couldn't just date anyone I want… I am the Kazekage after all…" I stated. He looked defeated. "Okay… I won't prod anymore…" He explained. I released a quiet sigh of relief. I really didn't like to talk about this sort of stuff, I found it depressing at times. We arrived within ten minutes of us stopping our talking. Suna waved and released a sigh of relief. "Mizu… I thought we might have to leave you behind?" She said smugly. I internally smirked at her opinion. We were about to leave when someone approached. We all turned to see who our guest was when a purple blob tackled Mizu. "Mizu-kun!" It called. "Warui?" He asked with a little shock. "Mmm Hmm!" She said with a smile, wiping away a large lock of purple hair. She let out a giggle as she got up and dusted off her yukata. She hugged Suna next. Her long purple hair flung around and partially mixed into Suna's red and yellow hair. Suna let out a small giggle and hugged Warui back before they said good bye. "Good bye Warui…" She said before we began to walk. "Bye! Make sure to visit again!" She called waving goodbye." We began to run through the trees, faster than we would have originally, as we were running behind. We ran through the trees for hours in silence. Mizu was behind us by a few feet, since his sword was slowing him down a little. Mizu managed to stay silent somehow. I… Well I was almost always silent. Suna on the other hand was more the equilibrium between Mizu and I. Even she was silent, which was strange. We went like that for hours before we even stopped. It was about 9:30 when we stopped to wait for Mizu. Suna let out a sigh. I turned towards her, but before I could ask she waved the question away. I lent against a tree while we waited. It was clear that Suna didn't exactly want to talk to me now. I internally sighed. Once Mizu caught up we began to run again, it would only be a few hours before we reached the trail. After a hour or so, Mizu broke the silence. "So… Are we taking the same route as last time?" "No…" I stated. "We need to hurry back so, unfortunately, we have to take a more open route…" I said with a sigh. Suna just faced forward the entire time not taking notice to us at all. "What!?!? We're gonna risk being seen so you can get back to Sunagakure quicker!?!" He yelled. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Suna sped up a little, leaving us behind slightly. "No. We have people coming to meet us part way…" I stated calmly. "Riiight!" He said sarcastically. I growled lowly and he backed off slightly. I sped back up to catch up to Suna. We continued to run like that for a few more hours. We all remained in silence the entire trip for a long time before something shocking occurred. Mizu suddenly screamed out in pain. He gripped his arm as he fell sideways through the trees. "Mizu?!?" Suna called with surprise in her voice. We jumped down the layers of the following where he fell. We stepped down into a clearing. Suna ran over to Mizu's body. She knelt down beside him and checked for a pulse and such. What happened next was the most shocking yet. The clearing was suddenly filled with a menacing giggle…


	24. Kara Poison and Big Brother

**Chapter 24**

**Suna**

I ran over to Mizu's body, yelling his name. I knelt down beside him and checked for a pulse. Suddenly the clearing was filled with a sinister giggle. Where had I heard that giggle before? Gaara took a defensive position, while I just stood straight, fists clenched. I knew who it was. It was her.

_**Ahhhh… so the little one grew up?**_

No! First this person trapping us in a clearing then her! I stood there, waiting for her to appear out of the shadows.

**Gaara**

I took a defensive stance, but Suna was just standing there, her fists clenched. I looked at her, puzzled for a second, then I looked back out into the shadows. I waited for an enemy to emerge. The giggle ran through the clearing once more. There was a rustling from a bush somewhere about 15 feet from Suna. She just stood there, staring at the foot emerging from the shadows. I saw a long blonde pony tail and I stiffened. Not him! Wait! His wasn't that long… I took a better defence position as I expected that accursed Akatsuki member to appear. The sinister giggle erupted once more as a girl stepped forward. I can see how I mistook her for Deidara… She had long hair, it was red on the top but the ponytail was mainly blonde and stretched down to about her butt. She had one purple eye, and one hazel. She had a sinister smirk and the rest of her was hidden in an Akatsuki jacket. She snickered when she noticed me, but she waved it off and then looked towards Suna. She stared at Suna with a smirk of pure entertainment. "Suna… Long time no see?" She said nonchalantly. Suna just growled under her breath. I stood there, feeling kinda useless in their staring contest. "What? Not gonna say hi?" She asked mockingly. "Why are you here?" Suna growled. She giggled at this. "I'm here for the tamashi bokkusu…" She said with a smirk, revealing a menacing set of pearl white teeth. Suna muttered something. The girl facing off with Suna could only be about thirteen at the oldest. The girl took a few steps towards Suna, and I made steps towards her. She snickered when she noticed me. "Well… we don't have to be supervised do we Suna?" She as turning to Suna. Suna wore a blank expression, then waved me away. "This is my fight Gaara…" She said with nothing in her voice. I stepped back and waited for a battle to start. They just stood there, Suna with a blank expression and the younger girl with a smirk. They stood there for minutes. "Kyodai Deidara will be appointed you didn't die…" She said with a dark smile when she turned her head towards me. "Kyodai?" Suna asked. "I thought he was itoko…" Suna continued. She smirked. "No… He's kyodai…" She explained. "You should know that he is my kyodai… I mean why wouldn't you…" She continued. "Who is she?" Asked Mizu as he slowly pulled himself up. Suna's head snapped towards him with worry in her eyes. "Mizu!" She called. He grunted as he pushed himself up and lent against a nearby tree, gripping his arm. "Hehehe… seems I didn't get rid of you yet…" She said with a smirk. She flung about 10 kunai, they lined up and down him on either side in identical rows. Then I saw the strings. Each Kunai had a string connected to them. The strings were connected to the girl at the other end. She began to pull at the strings, thus tightening the strings around Mizu. He attempted to free himself but the they weren't ordinary strings. "Hehe… don't bother… they're chakra strings… they won't come loose." She said with a sinister smirk. They continued to tighten and nothing else seemed to be happening. A kunai grazed the girl's cheek, stopping her from tightening. She tied the strings to another kunai and flung the kunai into the trunk of another tree, keeping it tight. She turned towards Suna again, with a hand still pointed towards Mizu. "Well… Kurai-chan with thank me for this…" She said with a smirk. Her fingers turned purple slowly then the purple was escaping her fingers and seeping down the chakra strings towards Mizu. "Kara!" Suna said firmly. The girl's smile widened. "Well… since you'll call me by my name finally… It's time to finish this… I can tell you don't want him knowing anymore of your relation to me…" She said with a smirk as she looked towards me. "Suna… Who is she… How do you know her…" I said blankly. Suna didn't answer. I turned towards her to ask her again when I saw she had lunged towards that Kara girl. Kara snickered. "Nice to see you too Suna!" She said as she dodged Suna's attack. Suna was yelling insults as she kept attacking Kara. Wait! Kara. Kara means poison… That's what Kara is attacking Mizu with! Poison! I ran towards Mizu in an attempt to save him from the poison. I ran, arm out stretched. "Mizu! The poison!" I yelled. I was a foot away when the poison reached him and began to spread. "Ahhhhhh!" Mizu yelled in agony at the pain the poison brought. Kara snickered. "Well… the hourglass is ticking." She said with a smirk…


	25. Wait! What? A Puppeteer?

**Chapter 25**

**Gaara**

Mizu yowled out in pain. I kept running towards him, but suddenly I was pinned against a tree by purple strings. I waited for the poison to rush through me, but it never came. I opened one eye to see whether it was going to come or not. There she was… Kara had me pinned to the tree with puppet strings, similar to Konkuro's except they were purple. I struggled, attempting to struggle my way out. Suddenly she was knocked over by something red. I was pulled with her and thudded to the ground. I looked up trying to see what had hit her. Kara was floating about five feet above the ground with a red puppet string connected to her forehead. She smirked slightly as she looked towards the other puppeteer. I followed her gaze to see a blur of red and black. I passed out for sometime, and when I awoke I wasn't sure what was going on at first. I looked around. Mizu was pinned to the tree week and purple spreading across his body. I looked for Suna or Kara. I finally found them. They were about fifteen feet apart, purple strings attached to Suna's points and the other ends of the strings at Kara's fingertips. Kara was attached to multiple red strings. Where are the red strings coming from? "Hehe… I see you're not rusty are you?" Kara said with a smirk as she made a tug with one of her fingers. Suna's attached limb followed the movement. I looked to Suna and finallt put two and two together and figured out that Suna was responsible for the red strings…


	26. Mother Liked You Best!

**Chapter 26**

**Suna**

Crap! She's got my wrist! Ugh if there were one point I wish I were more than what I am is now… I thrust my arm, pulling Kara around like a rag doll. I looked over towards Gaara and Mizu for a moment, they were fine. I have to keep Kara away from them! I didn't release my puppet strings but I began to run away from the clearing, away from Gaara and Mizu. I ran and ran until I was to another clearing, it was much larger as well. I smirked a little and swing Kara's body into a tree. She grunted and swung me off my feet. "I always was better at this sort of stuff…" I said with a smirk. She grunted as she attempted to swing me again, failing. I thrust her around like a rag doll for a while before she actually cut the strings. I smirked. "You were just mommy's favourite…" I said, not really caring. "No!" She yelled. I felt the ground around me shake, but I jumped into a tree to avoid being knocked around. "Kara, Kara, Kara…" I said shaking my head slowly. "Don't try and change my mind! I know who they really loved!" She screamed at me as she through several kunai. "Yes… It was you!" I yelled back as I drew sand up to protect me. She smirked. "Oh you're always using the same little tricks, you know what I learned in my years at Akatsuki with my brother?" She said with a sneer. "What?" I asked with a slight smirk. "How to destroy sand! And I'm gonna use it on your little friends too!" She said as she flung something at me. I released fire into my hands and touches my fingers to the sand, causing the sand to turn to glass quickly. "Glass?" She blurted out dumfounded. I punched a part of my glass shield breaking off shards in long dart like forms. I flung them towards her. "Haha! You never did have good aim did you?" She said victoriously. "Tsk… Tsk… Tsk…" I said shaking my head as I pulled at the strings that were connected to my fingers. She was pulled tight against the tree and she struggled, confused. "You should learn from your own tricks!" I blurted out with a smirk Her eyes widened slightly. "But!" She yelled before another smirk spread across her face. "You can't do what I can…" She said with a chuckle. "But I can do better things!" I yelled before glass ran down the strings. The strings crossed multiple vital spots and with any luck, she would die quickly. The glass rushed down but she closed her eyes soon before it would come. She snapped her eyes back open and they were a violent purple colour. I cut the strings before the poison could travel up the string to me. I heard a blood curdling male scream. "Mizu!" I said in a hushed voice. I broke out into an all out run towards the clearing that I had left the guys in. I made it there in seconds to see Mizu screaming in agony. Purple crawling up his neck towards his face. The rest of his body was already purple and his eyes were a bloody red. I stood there, shocked at the sight across the clearing from me. I looked around for Gaara but I couldn't see him. "Gaara! Where are you!" I yelled in almost fear. "Gaara!" I yelled louder when I saw Mizu stand to his feet and walk towards me. I stumbled back until I was pressed against a tree. A purple hand gripped around my throat and I felt myself being lifted off the ground. I struggled for air as I attempted to pry Mizu's hand open. "M-M-M-Mizu!" I stuttered out as I attempted to breath. His face softened and I felt myself being lowered. He released his grip around my throat and fell to his knees. "Mizu?" I said as I lowered beside him. "Good bye Suna… I… I… Well… I always have and always will love you… I'm sorry That things lately were messed up…" He stopped speaking when he coughed up some blood. I just kneeled there, wide eyed at what was happening. "Mizu! You're not gonna die!" I yelled lowly. "Don't deny what is reality… You know perfectly well what is happening… I don't know what exactly is happening myself, but I know you're a medical nin… You know perfectly well what my fate is… It ends her and now… I know that much…" He said weakly. "No! I won't except it!" I said as tears freely ran down my face. "Shhhhh…" He said wiping away a tear. "No! just because the poison will take over your mind before you die doesn't mean I'll except the fact that I'll never get to see your comforting face again!" I blurted out. He smiled. "Thank you for the wonderful goodbye… but it's my time to go… I don't want you to mourn me… I want you to move on… I want you to be happy whether I'm here or not…" He said as he stroked my cheek. "Goodbye Suna…" He said before his eyes glazed over and I felt him turn cold in my arms. I felt the tears run freely. I ran! I couldn't stay around and look at him any longer! I didn't want to see anymore… I ran and ran till my legs were weak and I couldn't move anymore… I felt myself fall but I didn't feel the pain that would usually come from falling face first into the hard ground. I felt nothing as my world went black…


	27. He Lied

**DISCLAIMER: i DON'T OWN NARUTO OR SUGARCULT'S SONGS "PRETTY GIRL" OR "MEMORY"**

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**Gaara**

I heard a scream run through the forest. Mizu was dead, I knew, and Suna couldn't possibly be taking it well. I kept running, Suna wouldn't be one to endanger herself for long. She would never let her guard down long… I entered another clearing and slowed to a walk. I walked around the clearing for a bit, waiting for Kara to pop up out of somewhere I heard a evil hum. I spun around to see a set of eyes. I glared but they didn't seem to notice me.

"Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything… Pretty soon she'll figure out, what his intentions were about …And that's what you get for falling again, you can never get him outta your head…And that's what you get for falling again, you can never get him outta your head…Its the way that he makes you feel…its the way that he kisses you…its the way that he makes you fall in love…She's beautiful as usual, with bruises on her ego and… her killer instinct tells her to, be aware of evil men …And that's what you get for falling again, you can never get him outta your head… And that's what you get for falling again, you can never get him outta your head…Its the way that he makes you feel…its the way that he kisses you…its the way that he makes you fall in love…Its the way that he makes you feel…its the way that he kisses you…its the way that he makes you fall in love…Pretty girl…Pretty girl…

Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything…pretty soon she'll figure out…

you can never get him outta your the way that he makes you cry… its the way that he's in your mind…its the way that he makes you fall in love…Its the way that he makes you feel…its the way that he kisses you…its the way that he makes you fall in love, love…"

She sang, oblivious of my presence. I heard a set of foot steps enter from across the clearing from where I stood. I heard Kara giggle before she jumped down from the tree and landed beside me. I took a defensive position but she shrugged it off. "I see why she's like you… Red head's are utterly delicious!" She said giggly before she forced her lips against mine. I freaked out and pushed her off, coughing at the disgusting thing that had just happened. I looked towards the one who had entered across the clearing to see a wide eyed Suna. I was worried she'd take it the wrong way, which she did… I felt myself encased in sand, sand I had no control over. I struggled but I couldn't move. I looked at Suna, worry spreading across my face. She just sneered at me. I looked down, ashamed. She wouldn't forgive me… She snapped her head back towards Kara. "You always went for older men…" She muttered. I was slightly confused, how would Suna know this stuff about her? "Oh shut it! Just cause you didn't like the guys that fawned over you doesn't mean I didn't like them." She said with a smirk. "What village are you from." I said firmly. She turned towards me with a smile. "Sunagakure." She said before executing a back flip and landing on a branch above Suna. My eyes widened. "Suna!" I yelled. Suna dodged the oncoming kunai and her head snapped towards me. "I don't need your help!" She yelled before the battle ensued. I was stuck there. Useless… Suna jumped straight up towards Kara and managed to land a punch on her. "Your blind spot always was unusually large…" She said smirking. She didn't notice Kara attempting to stab her until the kunai entered her thigh. "Ow?" She said raising an eyebrow. She snickered and pulled a string I hadn't noticed before and a long board with half circle blades at both ends came flying across the clearing towards Kara. Suna jumped up just as the board created a large gap in Kara's shoulder. Suna began to fall back down and she landed on the board. It stopped spinning and Suna grabbed it by the center hole and began to spin it on her hand before she flung it towards Kara. Kara was hit. Kara stood up and smirked. She disappeared into a puff of purple only to appear behind Suna. She smirked and pulled out a kunai, as if to slight Suna's throat. My eyes bugged out before they shut. I couldn't watch if she died. I heard a sound, like metal on flesh. I shivered as I heard blood spurt. I opened one eye to see if Suna was alive still. Suna was standing there, Kara not in sight. She had a smirk and blood was covering about half of her body. Kara appeared behind me. "Hi!" She said with a smile. I growled lowly. "Ooh! Touchy! Did I hit a sore spot?" She asked teasingly before she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. She appeared, standing on Suna's shoulders, with a large smirk. Kara didn't notice the bladed board swinging towards her. Kara was knocked off and blood shot from the backs of her legs. "Hehe… I'll have to finish this quick…" She said with a smirk. She turned towards Suna. "You are aware he lied…" She said coldly. Suna tilted her head in confusion. "Mizu… or whatever his name was… He didn't love you… Ever." She said looking down with a dark smile. "Pht… Like you'd know… You've never had a guy love you…" She responded. "And that was all your fault!" Kara screamed as she flung a shuriken towards Suna. Suna blocked it easily and then she froze. She turned slowly to see who had their hand on her shoulder. She began to wobble with fear as she saw it was Mizu. "M-M-M-Mizu?" She asked fearfully. His eyes were cold and showed hate. "Suna. I Hate You." She said coldly. He walked over to Kara and kissed her before she stabbed him in the back and dropped his body to the ground. Suna was wide eyed and tears began to fall. "AHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed, as if in pain, and dropped to the ground. Her sand dropped when she did this and I immediately ran over to keep her from being killed while she was in this state. I created a sand dome around us and stood there, panting, while she was collapsed on the ground in front of me. "Suna!" I said firmly. She slowly looked up towards me, tears stopped temporarily. "Y-Y-Y-Yes?" She stuttered out weakly. I was slightly shocked at the state she was in. "What is it… Gaara…" She said, struggling to say my name. "Mizu would want you to live and be happy… With or without him…" I said calmly. "No!" She yelled. "I can't just move on!" She continued yelling. She collapsed back down to the floor and began crying again. I internally sighed.

"This may never start… We could fall apart. And I'd be your memory… Lost your sense of fear. Feelings insincere… Can I be your memory?So get back, back, back to where we lasted. Just like I imagine… I could never feel this way. So get back, back, back to the disaster… My heart's beating faster. Holding on to feel the same…This may never start. I'll tear us apart… Can I be your enemy? Losing half a year. Waiting for you here… I'd be your anything…So get back, back, back to where we lasted. Just like I imagine… I could never feel this way. So get back, back, back to the disaster… My heart's beating faster. Holding on to feel the same…This may never start. Tearing out my heart… I'd be your memory. Lost your sense of fear… I'd be your memory… Feelings disappeared. Can I be your memory?So get back, back, back to where we lasted. Just like I imagine… I could never feel this way. So get back, back, back to the disaster… My heart's beating faster. Holding on to feel the same…This may never start. We could fall apart… And I'd be your memory. Lost your sense of fear… Feelings insincere. Can I be your memory? Can I be your memory?"

I mumbled most of the song I had once heard. How did I remember all that? She looked back up towards me, a confused look on her face. "I… I… I don't get it…" She mumbled. I kneeled down in front of her. "You'll understand… maybe not now but you will…" I said with a slight smile. "Now… We have an enemy waiting…" I said with a slight smirk. She stood up, determined. "Kara! Here I come!" She said bravely. I chuckled before I began to drop the shield. "Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!" Suna yelled as she ran towards Kara, Her bladed board spinning…


	28. She's the Blade

**Disclaimer:I don't own naruto or sugar cult's songs "Bouncing off the wall" and "She's the blade" Or Kerli's song "walking on air"**

**Chapter 28**

**Suna**

A song began to ring through my head as I battled against Kara, blocking her every move, as if we were performing choreographed dance.

"I'm bouncing off the walls again… *whoa oh* I'm looking like a fool again… *whoa oh* I threw away my reputation… One more song for the radio station.I'm bouncing off the walls again… *whoa oh* I'm looking like a fool again… *whoa oh*Waking up on the bathroom floor… Pull myself back together just to fall once more…And my heart's beating out of my chest. And this town is still making me sick. And every penny from my last pay check. I've blown it on you.I'm bouncing off the walls again… *whoa oh* And I'm looking like a fool again… *whoa oh* So go ahead and take a picture. And hang it up so you can tear me down…I don't care. Cause I'm still here. And I've got nothing left to lose. With all the years I wasted on you…Momma and Daddy's got the best cocaine… Ritalin's never gonna feel the same… Twenty-four hours on an empty brain… I got my finger on the trigger and your in my way.I'm bouncing off the walls again… *whoa oh* And I'm looking like a fool again… *whoa oh* I threw away my reputation… One more song for the radio station.I'm bouncing off the walls again. And I'm looking like a fool again. I'm bouncing off the walls again. And I'm looking like a fool again. I'm bouncing off the walls again…"

I smirked as she scratched my cheek with a nail. "Haha! You always did like to make those razor sharp!" I said smirking as I nailed her to a tree with sand. I commenced a few hand symbols then looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry…" I said as I felt the wind whip around me. My eyes dropped for a moment. The wind calmed as my eyes shut. My eyes shot open, probably that wild flame red colour. The wind flew around violently and I forced my sand to lift Gaara into a tree out of the danger zone. Kara released herself from the tree and I jumped backwards, landing at the other end of the clearing with a thud. "Awww… Are you mad?" Kara asked teasingly with a smirk. I growled and felt the wind begin to moving in a circular motion. I began to spin, as if I was a ballerina but I moved across the clearing at the same time. The wind spun with me, creating a gigantic tornado of sand, fire and wind. I felt myself speeding up as I moved towards Kara.

"La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.

There's a little creepy house, in a little creepy place…

Little creepy town, in a little creepy world…

Little creepy girl, with her little creepy face…

Saying funny things that you have never heard…

Do you know what it's all about?

Are you brave enough to figure out?

Know that you could set your world on fire…

If you are strong enough to leave your doubts…

Feel it…

Breathe it…

Believe it and you'll be walking on air…

Go try…

Go fly… so high… and you'll be walking on air…

You feel this, unless you kill this…

Go on, and you're forgiven…

I knew that, I could feel that…

I feel like, I am walking on air…

Yeah…

She has a little creepy cat, and a little creepy bat…

Little rocking chair, and an old blue hat…

That little creepy girl…

Oh…

She loves to sing…

She has a little gift…

An amazing thing…

With her little funny eyes of hazel…

With her little funny old blue hat, she will go and set the world on fire…

No one ever thought she could do that…

Feel it…

Breathe it…

Believe it… and you'll be walking on air…

Go try…

Go fly… so high… and you'll be walking on air…

You feel this, unless you kill this..

Go on, and you're forgiven…

I knew that, I could feel that…

I feel like, I am walking on air…

Flitter up and hover down…

Be all around…

Be all around…

You know that I love you…

Go on…

Feel it…

Breathe it…

Believe it… and you'll be walking on air…

Go try…

Go fly… so high… and you'll be walking on air…

You feel this, unless you kill this…

Go on, and you're forgiven…

I knew that, I could feel that…

I feel like, I am walking on air…

I am walking on air…

*Walking on air*

Yeah…"

I hit! I felt the sand and flames reach her. She pressed her hands against the spinning flames and sand in an attempt to reduce the damage, which failed. She went flying, spinning, into a tree and I heard a satisfying crack as the tree snapped in half at the force. I smirked at my little mid-battle victory. Purple smoke surrounded my tornado and I stopped on the spot in an effort to see my way out. I stood there looking around for a few seconds. I saw an opening. There! I began to run for it when I was suddenly tackled by something from the side. I grunted and created glass shards on my fingertips. I was about to stab them into the back, of who I believed was Kara, when I saw the spiky red hair. "G-Gaara?" I stuttered out as the glass shards retracted. "It's a trap… don't fall for the illusion…" He explained as he sat up. I sat up as well and looked him in the eyes. I closed my eyes and performed a few hand symbols, performing another Arashi style jutsu. My eyes reopened only to be a shade of silver. I stood up with a smirk. I turned towards Gaara. "Thank you…" I said before I ran in the opposite direction of the illusionary opening. I broke through the smoke and managed to land a punch on Kara's smug, little, bratty, head. She grabbed her head in pain and then she became a lot angrier. She ran towards me with pure rage. She threw a series of punches, which I dodged easily. "Rage makes you unstable… An unstable ninja is a useless ninja…" I stated as if I was a teacher. She growled with anger. I blocked her next blow. I pushed her back and she fell landing in front of another set of feet. Gaara stood above her, a smug look on his face.

"Don't you make a move tonight. You can only stagger… Once she's got you in her sight. You're the one she's after…She's the blade and you're just paper… You're afraid cause she's got closer… You're back-stepping and she's back-stabbing everything in your life…She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back… She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back…One by one you count the fights. Doesn't even matter…That she's got you by surprise. Misery's your master…She's the blade and you're just paper… You're afraid cause she's got closer… Your back-stepping and she's out wrecking everything in your life…She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back… She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back…She stole everything… She controlled everything… She stole everything… She controlled everything…She's the blade… She's the blade… She's the blade and you're the paper… She's the blade and you're just...She's the blade and you're just paper… You're afraid cause she's got you closer…She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back… She stole everything your heart desired. Now you want it back…She stole everything… She controlled everything… She stole everything… And controlled everything…"

He said it all as if singing without music or a rhythm. I smirked and he looked towards me with a similar smirk. In less than a second she was encased in sand and stuck. Now… It was my turn to speak of the past…


	29. It's All Your Fault!

**Chapter 29**

**Suna**

I jumped into a tree and took on a pouncing position as I looked down at Kara, encased in sand. "Well… let's take a walk down memory lane." I said with a smirk as I waved my hand in a gesture. She huffed. "Now… Why would you want him to know everything? Sister?" She said with a smirk at mentioning the fact that we were related. Gaara turned towards me. I sighed. "Too late to keep anything a secret…" I said as I looked towards Kara.

**(flash back)**

** an eight year old Suna enters the house **

**Suna: Daddy! Can we go fly my kite! The wind is perfect!**

** Sees father with a women **

**Suna: Who's that? *point***

**Father: Oh… This is my fiancé…**

**Suna: What a fansay?**

**Father: It means we're gonna get married… You'll have a mommy…**

**Women: hi there!**

**Suna: *huff* but I have a mommy! *hold up necklace charm***

**Father: that's not what I mean… it means you'll have **_**another**_** mommy… and a little brother or sister…**

**Suna: huh?**

**Women: well… it means we'll be family… and I'm gonna have a baby… *point to belly* and that baby will be your sister or brother *smile***

**Suna: *nod* Okay *hug women***

**(fast forward a year or so)**

** Suna enters house**

**Suna: Hi mommy! *hug***

**Mother: hi sweetie! *hug***

** snake slithers into house through open door **

**Suna: Mommy?**

**Mother: yes?**

**Suna: can we go to the park today? I wanna say hi to that boy who is always sitting alone…**

**Mother: we can go to the park… but I don't want you talking to that boy!**

**Suna: why?**

** snake slithers over to Kara **

**Mother: because he is dangerous… I want you safe… you're my daughter…**

** snake bites Kara **

**Kara: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**Mother: Oh my god! Kara! *runs over***

**Suna: What's wrong?**

**Mother: go find your father! I have to get your sister to the doctor! *stands up and begins to run***

** Suna runs to find her father **

**Suna: Daddy!**

**Father: what is it?**

**Suna: something happened to lil sister… mommy took her to the doctor…**

**Father: what! We have to go! Now!**

** father picks up Suna and runs to hospital **

** they arrive at hospital **

**Father: honey! What happened? Is she okay?**

**Mother: no! she got bit by a poisonous snake! And you know why? Because your cursed daughter left the door open when she entered the house! *point at Suna***

**Father: you know perfectly well Suna would never do something like that on purpose…**

**Mother: I don't care! As far as I'm considered… she isn't my daughter! And I don't even care if she's yours! I don't consider her family!**

** Suna begins to cry and runs away **

** Suna is walking in the dark of night **

** she sees someone, a little boy **

** runs over **

**Suna: excuse me!**

** boy turns towards her **

**Suna: Hi there! Can you help me?**

** boys looks confused **

**Suna: I need a place to stay… my mommy doesn't want me and I need somewhere I can go for the night… I'd be gone in the morning… I'm leaving Sunagakure…**

** boy leads her to a large mansion **

**Suna: *gasp* is this your house? It's so big!**

** boy knocks at door and a man answers **

**Man: hey there boy… who's your friend?**

**Boy: she needs somewhere to sleep the night… can she stay with us tonight?**

**Man: I can't see why not…**

** leads children into house **

**Man: hey girl… What's your name?**

**Suna: I'm Suna Arashi…**

**Man: an Arashi? Why are you out so late? Why aren't you at home?**

**Suna: I'm running away… my mommy doesn't want me anymore… I'm gonna apprentice as a medical ninja…**

**Man: I see… why are you running away… why doesn't your mom want you anymore… **

**Suna: well she's my step - mom… She blames me because my half sister got bitten by a snake… it was an accident! *starts crying***

**Man: well… you can stay the night… and I think it's great you're gonna become a medical ninja… We need lots of those…**

** Suna smiles and follows the man to her room **

**( fast forward three years )**

** Suna enters Arashi estate **

** enters house **

**Suna: I'm back…**

** she hears a women crying **

** follows noise to see her father comforting her step-mother **

**father looks up at Suna **

**Father: Hello Suna… We've missed you…**

** step-mother stand up and points at Suna **

**Mother: you! It's all your fault! First you get my daughter bit! Then she runs away! It's all your fault!**

** step-mother slaps Suna **

**(end of flash back)**

I looked into Kara's eyes. One purple and one ice blue. I jumped down and landed on the ledge of the sand surrounding Kara. I looked towards Gaara and he wore a blank expression. "Kara…" I said blankly. "What!" She snapped. "I have something for you…" I said as I held up a vial filled with icy-blue liquid. "What's that?!" She snapped, as if attempting to bite off my ankle. "An antidote." I said with a smirk…


	30. Am I Alone?

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or Avril Lavignes's song "holding on"**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

**Suna**

I felt one tear run down my cheek before I forced the liquid down my half-sister's throat. "I'm truly sorry… I wish it could have been different…" I said truthfully. I watched as the last dropped trickled down the glass and fell into her mouth. I released the sand forcing her jaw open and looked towards Gaara. I gave him a look, as if saying "Release her… please?" Gaara understood and released her and she lay on the ground for a moment. I knelt down beside her and wiped the hair out of her face. "Good bye Kara… you were my only true family… ever…" I said with a small smile. She reached up and touched her fingers against my cheek. "Bye… Bye… Sister…" She said weakly. Her hand dropped and she turned to a purple dust that got blown away by the wind. I sighed and stood up. Gaara was a few feet from me now. "I'm sorry this all had to happen… Maybe if we had taken the hidden route things would be different… maybe…" He didn't get to finish what he was saying because I, for some reason I don't quite get myself, had smashed my lips against his. It was plain and simple. He didn't move though, he stood there frozen. I came to my senses and pushed myself away, my tears freely falling. I ran. Ran, back in the direction of Konoha. I kept running, running for hours. I didn't want Gaara to follow but I knew deep down he would, he had to, it was his mission to protect me… I kept running even after my legs hurt like they would fall off. I kept running far past Konoha. I finally stopped when I almost collapsed. I stood there, in a clearing. I sat down under the closest tree and began to think… I could feel her presence. I would always have her.

"You're not alone…Together we stand…I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand…When it gets cold…And it feels like the end…There's no place to go…You know I won't give in…No I won't give in…Keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…Just stay strong…'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you…There's nothing you could say…Nothing you could do…There's no other way when it comes to the truth…So keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…So far away…I wish you were here…Before it's too late, this could all disappear…Before the doors close…And it comes to an end…With you by my side I will fight and defend…I'll fight and defend…Yeah, yeah!Keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…Just stay strong…'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you…There's nothing you could say…Nothing you could do…There's no other way when it comes to the truth…So keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…Hear me when I say, when I say I believe…Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny…Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly…Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!…La da da daLa da da daLa da da da da da da da daKeep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…Just stay strong…'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you…There's nothing you could say…Nothing you could do…There's no other way when it comes to the truth…So keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…Keep holding on...Keep holding on…There's nothing you could say…Nothing you could do…There's no other way when it comes to the truth…So keep holding on…'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…"My train of thought was broken by the sound of footsteps. Someone dragging their feet across the grass, as if they were tired. I looked in the opposite direction of the sound. I didn't want to talk. I couldn't face him anyway… My thoughts were once again broken by someone. It wasn't who I expected though. "So he blew you off?" said a smug, distant yet familiar voice. It was Kurai. My head shot up, revealing my bloodshot eyes. He snickered. "He's an ass…" He said before walking towards me. I put up a small sand dome. I didn't want to speak with anyone. I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't want to exist. I sat there, my arms wrapped around my legs and my forehead on my knees. I suddenly felt another presence. Kurai's disappeared soon after. What was going on? I stood up and lowered my shield only to be bombarded by a set of lips. I wasn't sure who it was and I looked around to see who it was. My eyes widened then I melted…


	31. Kazekage Journal 1

**Kazekage journal 1**

It has been two days since the attack upon me and my comrads, Suna and Mizu. We unfortunately lost Mizu in the battle and Suna is mentally unstable. We are curaintly approaching Sunagakure, it should be another half day if the weather stays calm. I am returning to a life of paper work and, unfortunately, seeing Matsuri on a constant basis… I am worried about Suna's mental conditon as of this event, losing her lover and her sister. I couldn't possibly imagine how it was for her to have to kill her own sister… I will be making sure to check up on her in order to assess her mental stability…


	32. Don't Pick Fights

**Chapter 32**

**Matsuri**

I walked through the streets of Sunagakure, wondering where he could be. Maybe the book store? Wait! Was that just him leaving that soup shop? No… I wandered around for a few hours before I gave up on looking for him myself. I walked towards their house. Temari would definitely know where he was. I walked for a bit before I reached the large house. It was sandy brown on the outside, like all the others, but you could tell it apart quite easily. It was far larger and you could always see the open window that showed the maroon room of Gaara. I rapped at the door and waited for a few minutes. I heard the locks begin to be undone and after about half a minute of locks being unlocked the door began to open. "Hey Temari!" I said with a closed eye smile and a small wave. "Uhhh… hey Matsuri…" said a male voice. I was a little confused so I reopened my eyes to see Konkuro. "Ohhh… ummm…. Do you know where Temari is?" I asked, a little embarrassed at my mistake. "She's out of Sunagakure for the week…" He stated lazily, he probably had just gotten up. "Oh. Well do you know where Gaara is?" I asked with chipper in my voice once more. "Ummm…. On a mission…" He said, he obviously wasn't sure of the details. "Oh… Do you know where he went on his mission?" I asked. "Konoha?" He said as if he wasn't sure. "Ohhh… Do you know when he'll be back?" I asked, trying to squeeze a few more bits of information out of him. "He should be back any day now…" He said lazily as he began to close the door. "Okay… thanks Konkuro…" I said as I pivoted on my foot and began to walk away from the house. I walked home. I entered the house and walked into my room, I ripped open my closet and searched for something to wear when I greeted him back to Sunagakure. I pushed through my clothes searching for something a bit more formal. Maybe my yukata… I agreed with myself that the yukata would look best. I placed it on the bed and got dressed in the yukata. I was soon finished dressing and I began to walk out of my house. I walked through the streets towards the gates of Sunagakure. I continued walking, in my blissful state. I didn't notice the person walking straight towards me till we crashed and fell down. "Hey!" I yelled a bit pissed that the person hadn't noticed me walking. I decided against that immediately. He was a boy, about Gaara's age. He had dark blue hair and carried a rather large sword, probably best not to piss him off. He wore a simple set of navy blue pants and a black T-shirt. I ignored him as I stood up. Suddenly there was a hand in front of my face. I looked up to see it was the boy I had bumped into. I reluctantly took his hand as he helped me up. I brushed off my yukata then looked back towards him. "What's your name anyway?" I asked as I brushed off a few more bits of sand. He began to walk off towards Sunagakure. "Hey! Answer my question!" I yelled after him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder towards me with a smirk. "Don't worry… Everyone will know it soon enough…" And with that he was gone. I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant by that. I shrugged it off and continued towards the gates. I arrived at the gates and waited for him to arrive. I waited for a few hours before I started to get bored. I sat there by the gate, playing solitaire. I sighed. "Maybe I should have brought something to eat…" I muttered as my stomach let out a small growl. Something caught my attention within the next few seconds, it wasn't my stomach and it wasn't the guards. That could only mean one thing. Gaara was here! I stood up, brushed the sand off my yukata and walked to the edge of the gate. I could see him about fifty feet from the gate. He was carrying something, and it wasn't just his gourd. I couldn't tell what it was until I saw him stop for a moment. He set the thing down, well rather he set the person down. Wait! Person? Who the heck is he with? I began to run towards him. I stopped when I was about thirty feet from him. I was seeing practically double. There was Gaara and then beside him was some female. She had crimson hair with yellow tips and hazel eyes. She wore a maroon tank-top and a maroon skirt as well. I gave her a death scare, but she didn't seem to notice me at all. I huffed at her ignorance and started walking towards her. I was soon right in her face. She wore a blank expression and didn't seem to be aware of her surroundings. "Who are you?" I snapped at her. She didn't answer, She just wore that blank expression and looked me straight in the eyes. I felt a shiver run down my back. I mean, Gaara did it too but he at least spoke. She wouldn't even speak. "Gaara? Who is she?" I asked him. "Suna Arashi of the Arashi clan…" He stated simply, with something that sounded like sympathy. "What's wrong with her? Why won't she speak? Is she mute or something?" I asked, I didn't really care I just didn't like when people acted so arrogant towards me. She began to look angry and I felt something running up my leg. I looked down and saw it was sand, Gaara was just going to protect me if she began to attack. I smiled with assurance. Suddenly I was encased in sand and it was slowly wrapping around me more and more. I gasped and my eyes bulged out. "G-G-Gaara?!" I yelped out. "What are you doing?" I asked, scared of what he was doing. He just looked me in the eye for a moment. "It's not me…" He said with a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. I looked around, trying to see who it was but it was just the three of us. If it wasn't Gaara and it wasn't me… Then… No! How? How can she do that? She looked me dead in the eye with a dark angry, and sinister look. "Gaara?" I called out trying to get him to save me. He looked at me then The girl, I think her name was Suna. I felt the sand retreat. But it remained around my feet. I through a punch. It hit her but she just stood there with a smirk.

"If you feel so empty…So used up… so let down…If you feel so angry…So ripped off… so stepped on…You're not the, only one…Refusing, to back down…You're not, the only one…So get up…Let's start a riot, a 's start a 's start a riot, a 's start a you feel, so filthy… so dirty…so messed up…If you feel so walked on…So painful… so pissed off…You're not the, only one…Refusing, to go down…You're not the, only one…So get up…Let's start a riot, a 's start a 's start a riot, a 's start a you feel, so empty…So used up… so let down…If you feel, so angry…Just get up…Let's start a riot, a riot…Let's start a riot…Let's start a riot, a 's start a 's start a riot, a 's start a 's start a riot, a 's start a 's start a riot, a 's start a riot…"

She sang with a smirk as sand shot up in pillars around me. I avoided being hit by the pillars but they began to move in around me. I jumped up and stood on top of one of the pillars. "Ha." I said smugly. She just shook her head. "You're unprepared for battle, a ninja should always be prepared…" She said as she reached into her hip sack. She flung multiple kunai at me. I dodged most of them but I was hit on the cheek by one. I grunted and charged towards her. She just stood there, smirking. I kept running and suddenly I felt myself pass through her, I spat sand out of my mouth and turned around in an attempt to punch her, but she wasn't there. There was a sand clone and there was a large opening from where I had passed through. I looked around when suddenly I heard sand moving around behind me. I spun around to see her standing there in front of me. "Boo." She said with a small smirk with her arms crossed across her chest. "I don't care whether I'm not the best ninja in the world! Just stay away from Gaara!" I yelled in her face as I pointed my finger in her face. She stood there blankly. "Don't pick fights if you can't win…" She said simply before she pushed me aside and walked towards the gates of Sunagakure. I just huffed lowly. I turned towards Gaara with a smile, but he was just scowling at me. "What?" I said innocently. "Don't pick fights with someone of high rank… She could make your life a living hell if she wanted…" He said with a smirk. I just shrugged. "She aint got the guts." I said smugly. I was suddenly surrounded by a dome of sand. I smirked. "Thanks Gaara but I can protect myself." I responded. The dome began to get smaller and smaller. My eyes bulged. "Gaara!" I screamed. The sand released me and there was Suna again with a dark cold look in her eyes. "Ugh! I've had it with you!" I screamed as I stood up and brought my arm back to punch her in the face. I felt my fist hit skin, but it didn't continued moving. I looked to see I had hit someone, but not who I wanted. "G-Gaara?" I stuttered out as I lowered my hand from his forehead. The girl just looked at him. "Why did you protect me?" She questioned. "Why wouldn't I defend a friend." He said with a smile and he began to walk towards the gates. Suna disappeared heading towards the gates. I walked beside Gaara in silence for a moment. "Wait! What! She's your friend?!?" I yelled when I realized what he had said earlier. I stood there in front of him. "She's your friend? That psycho?" I yelled in his face. "Yes." He said with a smirk as he pushed me aside and continued walking. I didn't like this. I followed and when we arrived at his house he opened the door. "Night…" He said blankly before closing the door in my face…


	33. You Don't Have To Be Alone

**Chapter 33**

**Suna**

I walked through the streets of Sunagakure. I stopped at a café and ordered a simple lemon tea. I sat there watching the people walk by for a while. They were so blissfully unaware of how easily something special could be plucked from their life. I finished my tea and left the cup on the table with a tip. I walked through the streets some more. I stopped in at a book store and went straight towards the fantasy section in the back right corner of the store. I sat down and began to read a book that had caught my eye. I got bored of it after a couple chapters though and set it back. I walked out the store to see it had begun to rain. I said and began walking towards the estate. Every once in a while I was greeted by someone or something similar. I reached the gates of the estate. I ran my hand across the bars. Cold and heartless. I pushed them open and walked down the long walkway towards the main house. A slightly chubby, happy women stepped out of a building. My aunt who owned the Arashi café with her husband. The Arashi café was a café that was open to both the public and the Arashi family. She ran over, hugged me and asked me how my trip had gone. "It was fine…" I mumbled as I walked off, looking to the ground. I entered the entry way and took off my shoes. I closed the door, keeping the sudden cold out. I walked through the house and walked towards the stairs. I walked up the stairs to the second floor, then walked to the end of the hall and walked up another set of stairs to a simple door way. I unlocked the door and walked up yet another set of tiny stairs. I undid my hip sack as I walked up the set of tiny stairs and threw it at the left wall when I reached to top of the stairs. I sighed as I numbly walked towards my bed, right next to the window. I felt numb on the inside. I hadn't felt any feelings in hours, not since that fight with the brunette. I sighed and plopped down on the bed. I lay there, staring at the ceiling for a while. Suddenly I heard movement downstairs. I sat up and attempted to listen harder. I heard the front door open and greetings exchanged. I couldn't tell who the conversation was between so I decided to investigate. I slowly and quietly walked down the sets of stairs till I was at the set of stairs that led downstairs. I looked down the stairs into the living room to see my father and some other guy. I couldn't tell who it was and they were speaking quite quietly. I grunted under my breath, but apparently out "guest" heard because he suddenly turned his head up the stairs. I hid around the railing but I smirked when I realized if he was looking towards me I'd be able to see who it was. I peeked around the banister to see who it was. I felt my eyes bulge and felt sweat run down my cheek. I didn't see much but I saw enough to know who it was. I got to my feet and ran back up to my room, locking the door to my room and I flopped back on the bed. I lay there with my face in my pillow. Why did he come here? What is his problem? He knows I don't wanna talk to anyone! Why is he bothering stopping by? God! He has no clue does he? I heard a knock at my door. I grumbled and muttered things under my breath as I got out of bed and walked down the small set of stairs to the door. I reluctantly unlocked the door but regretted it in second. There in front of me were the single set of eyes I didn't want to see the most. I put on a brave face and leaned in the doorway, angry at his presence. "What!" I snapped. He smirked at this. I wanted to slap him but we were back in Sunagakure and I could easily be arrested for trying to hurt him in any way. I sighed and gave him a death glare. He snickered and pushed his way into my room and sat on the step. I sighed once more and reluctantly shut the door. I leaned against the closed door and looked at him angrily. "Well? What!" I stated angry that he felt he could just barge in and mess with me. "Nothing much… We never got to properly say good bye though… He said as he stood up. That's when I noticed that he was actually a few inches taller than me. I started to walk up the stairs into my room and he followed. I sat down on my bed and he sat down on the nearby drum stool. I glared at him and he just smirked at my expression. "You have no idea how much I wanna punch you right now…" I said, breaking the silence. "Well go ahead." He said with a smirk. "You know perfectly well why I can't…" I growled. "Okay if you're done with the hate I'd like to say what I came here to say." He said sitting forward. "I'm not gonna stop being your friend because the mission is over, and if you need someone to hang with… well Temari, Konkuro and I will always be around…" He said with a smile. I smiled slightly. "Thank you Gaara, but I think I'll just spend sometime with myself, and try and figure it out on my own…" I responded. Gaara sighed. "Just because you were alone when you were young doesn't mean you have to remain alone…" He stated. I was frozen for a second. "H-How did you know though?" I asked, purely confused. He smirked. "I heard you and Mizu talking…" He stated. I smiled and then I sat up. "I guess you'll need to be going now…" I said, a little disappointed. "Yeah… unfortunately…" He said with a sigh. He then stood up and walked over to my bed. He opened the window and took off his gourd. He crawled through the window and I passed him his gourd. He smiled and waved goodbye before hopping off the roof. I sighed as I closed the window. I plopped down on my bed and eventually ended up falling asleep. The next morning I awoke to find that I was truly back in Sunagakure. "Back in my own little prison…" I muttered as I sat up…

* * *

author's note: hey people! i'd like to thank those who are still keepin' up with the story and all. I'm pretty happy because someone added my story to their favourites today XD but i'm finding that never having people review is kinda depressing... please review!


	34. Paperwork

**Chapter 34**

**Gaara**

I sat there, buried in paperwork. I sighed as I sighed ten more of the sheets. I heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" I called out. Temari entered the room with a small smile. "Hey Gaara…" She said with a small wave as she closed the door behind her. She plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "Well? What do you want?" I asked as I sorted through the paper. "Well… I was wondering when we're gonna go hang with Suna again?" She asked. My head shot up slightly. "I don't know…" I said as I lowered my head again. She snickered slightly. My head shot up again as I gave her a death glare. She just tilted her head and smiled teasingly. I growled lowly. "If you're here just to waste my time… Leave…" I stated as I started on another stack of sheets. She just sighed. "You can't just forget about her because you're back under the people's eye…" She said, breaking the silence. I looked her straight in the eye. "I know… I'm just attempting to figure out the best way to hang around her without the constant criticism…" I explained with a slight sigh. She gave me a smile before standing up. She placed her hand on my head and messed up my hair before she swayed out of the room. I shook my head and fixed it down just a little. I continued with the paperwork for hours. Eventually there was yet another knock at my door. I sat up and called out. "Come in…" A girl with long blue hair and purple eyes entered the room. "Sir… I'm the festival planner for the annual Arashi festival…" She stated shyly. My head shot back up. "Go on…" I said, remaining calm. "Well basically… there blocks around the estate will all be cut off for the festival… The Arashi café will be open all day and there will be a live performer at the café…" She stated as she handed my a couple pieces of paper. I scanned the sheets and looked back up at her, handing her the sheets. "Sounds like it will be an enjoyable event…" I said with a small smile. "Well we were wondering if you would be able to make an appearance?" She asked shyly. I turned in my swivel chair towards a calendar on the wall. I scanned the calendar for the date. "When is it again?" I asked. " October 17..." She stated. I checked the date and found it empty except for a small note: _**Suna's birthday. **_I turned towards her. "Yes I definitely can make an appearance…" I said with a smile. She jumped slightly and then bowed. "Thank you Kazekage-sama…" She said before she walked out of my office, leaving me alone with my paperwork again. I sighed and continued with my paperwork. It was about 9:30 when I got out of my office. I walked down the empty streets alone. Or at least I was alone for a bit. I stopped when I heard foot steps. I smirked. I turned around to find no one. I looked up to see a shadow on the rooftop. "Come down." I said sourly. The figure dropped and that when I noticed it was a girl. The figure stood there in front of me. She was about three or four inches shorter than me. I couldn't see what she looked like much because of the lack of proper light. I sighed and looked for a light in my back when suddenly there was light. I looked towards her to see her hand, holding a ball of fire. I looked up and I could see who it was. Wait! Is that who I think it is? "Suna?" I asked the girl, her hair went part way down her back and the tips were black. She just smiled. She then began walking in the general direction of my house. "Why are you here?" I asked. "Because I managed to escape my step mom." She said looking forward with a smile. "Why are you walking towards my house?" I continued. She smiled and turned towards me. "Temari invited me over for dinner… Konkuro insists I cook though…" She said the last part with a smirk. I smirked back. "Konkuro's right there…" I responded. "Why didn't you just walk on the streets?" I asked after a moment. "Way to easy for a mugger to try and attack you during the night…" She stated simply as she continued walking. I smiled and enjoyed the silence as we walked. We arrived at the house soon and Suna was rushed to the kitchen by Temari. I smirked and walked up the stairs. I walked down the hard wood hall way and entered the second door or the right side. Inside this door was my room. Maroon carpet and crimson drapes over the large window. I sat down on my bed, which was up against the wall with the window, and laid there. I just laid there, thinking, for the longest time. I heard small steps on the hall way floor, followed by a knock at my door. I sat up. "Come on in…" I called from my place in the middle of my bed. I heard the doorknob slowly turn and then the door opened. Suna stood there in the door way, frozen. I just sat there smirking at this…


	35. Dinner and a Game of Cards

**Chapter 35**

**Suna**

I knocked at the last door on the right and waited. I heard the ruffling of sheets. Shit! Did I wake him or something? The next moment he called out. "Come on in!" I slowly turned the knob and opened the door. I was here to tell him dinner was ready but I froze up when I saw him. I stood there in the door way. I'm not sure how long I stood there but I snapped out of it when I noticed he was smirking. "Uhhh… Dinner's ready…" I mumbled. Gaara crawled off his bed and opened up a drawer. Of course, that's when I noticed why I had froze up… He had been shirtless. I mentally slapped myself, repeatedly. I started to walk down the hall way and down the set of stairs. I reached the landing and turned left into the kitchen. I sat down at the table and placed my head on the table causing my hair to flop all over the table. Konkuro sat down on my right and snickered. "Trying to take over the wind country?" He asked. Temari sat down across from me and looked at Konkuro. "And what do you mean by that?" She asked him. He froze up in fear for a second before he answered. "Well the way her hair spread out it was like she was taking over the table with it… so basically I was saying she was trying to take over wind country and starting with our table…" He explained with a sweat drop. I sighed from my hiding spot among my hair. I hair the kitchen door open from behind me. I just hid my head in my hair a bit more. Gaara sat down on my left and I could feel him looking at me. I sat upright and my hair followed, thus being removed from the table. Temari stood up with a triumphant smile and walked over to the counter. She first brought over Gaara and my plates then her and Konkuro's. Konkuro was the first to take a bite. Apparently Temari's cooking was horrible so when Konkuro took another bite soon after the first I felt some victory. "Great food Suna!" He said through a mouthful of the meal. I smiled slightly and picked up my fork and began to eat, myself… It was good! Gaara cleared his throat after a moment. We all turned towards him to see a smile spread across his face. "It's great Suna!" He said before taking another bite. I nodded and took a few more bites. "What about me? I made it too?" Temari snapped. Konkuro and Gaara froze up for a few seconds. "Well of course… but we're just focusing on our guest cook…" Konkuro slowly said. Temari didn't buy it. She took a bite and the rest of dinner went on in awkward silence. After dinner Konkuro, Gaara and I went to the living room and hung out for a bit. I looked at my MNCP at one point to see it was about 12:00 am. I sighed. Gaara turned towards me, a curious look on his face. I just waved it of with a slight smile. Temari broke into the living room and grabbed me by the wrist. "Come on! My turn with you!" She said cheerfully. Konkuro stood up to protest. "But we were gonna have some fun with the puppets!" He yelled. Gaara looked up, from the couch, at his brother. Temari just pulled my wrist. "No! I'm sure she's tired of you idiot boys…" She said with a smirk. I internally sighed and gave Konkuro a sorry look. I said a quick goodbye to the guys before I was rushed off to Temari's room. She forced me do do multiple cliché feminine activities. Within two hours I had had my hair put up into about five different hair styles, I had had a make over and I had been forced to act feminine for the rest of the night. I sighed. Why did I agree to truth of dare… Part way through our game of truth or dare she got bored of just playing with me and decided it would be better if we played with the boys too. I sighed as we all sat down on the living room floor in a circle, Temari and Konkuro soon started a fight over who should go first. I just sat there for the first ten minutes they fought. Gaara tapped me on the shoulder. I turned towards him to see he had a pack of cards. I smiled and nodded as I turned to sit across from him. We began our second game of cards when I looked towards him. "How long does this usually last?" I asked with a small sigh. He just smirked and said. "Depends…"


	36. Truth or Dare?

**Chapter 36**

**Gaara**

We played five full rounds of cards, Temari and Konkuro were still fighting. I cleared my throat. They looked towards me. "I'll go first." I said with a slight smirk. Temari and Konkuro broke up the fight and returned to their spots on the hard wood floor. I thought about who to ask first. "Temari. Truth or dare?" I asked simply. She thought for a moment before choosing. "Truth." I smirked. "Is it true you're 'diplomatic visit to konoha is really just an excuse to go visit Shikamaru?" I questioned smugly. I could see her sweat drop. She then dropped her head. "Yeah…" She mumbled. Konkuro broke out laughing but stopped when Temari was about to punch him. I snickered slightly. Temari sat up straight and looked me in the eyes with a menacing look. "Gaara? Truth or dare?" "Either way you'll try to make my life miserable…" I said with a sigh. "Truth…" I continued. She smirked. "Is it true that you like Suna?" She said pointing to Suna beside me. I tensed up and I felt Suna tense up as well. "No." I answered blankly. Suna relaxed and I let out a small sigh. I turned towards my brother. "Konkuro? Truth or dare?" I asked. "Dare!" He yelled out. I smirked and he gave a scared look. "I dare you… to dress up Crow as a princess…" I said with a smirk. "No!" He cried out. He then slowly stood up and walked out of the room. As soon as he left the room we all broke out laughing. We rolled on the floor and held our sides for a good five minutes. "Aww… that was priceless…" Suna said as she wiped away a tear. "Okay! I did it!" Konkuro called out from the other room. "Well… let's see him…" I called back. He shuffled into the room with his head hanging. There in his hand was Crow, in a pink dress and a little tiara. We all broke out laughing again, and Konkuro stepped out of the room to get the costume off his puppet. We waited for him to return and when he finally re-entered the room we had finished laughing. "Gaara… you're pure evil…" He muttered. He then looked around the small group with a smirk. "Suna." He said once he had chosen his victim. Her head shot up towards him. "Truth or dare?" He asked with a large smirk. I sighed and out my head in my hand. "Dare." She said confidently. Konkuro let out a small, maniacal laugh as he thought of his best dare. "I dare you… To…" he said slowly, adding dramatic tension. "Say it already!" Suna yelled at him, obviously impatient. "Spend ten minutes in the basement!" He said dramatically. Suna was quick to her feet and began walking towards the basement door. Konkuro opened the door and behind it you could see the first few steps of the stairs but after that it was a dark abyss. Suna marched in and Konkuro closed the door behind her. Four minutes had passed when Konkuro stood up frustrated. "Why aren't I hearing anything! I should be hearing screaming!" He exclaimed, Temari gave him a dirty look. "Don't tell me you turned the basement into a haunted house again…" She said lowly. Konkuro nodded sheepishly. Temari stood up in a slight panic. "Konkuro!" She screamed in his face. "Remember what happened last time! And that time with Gaara!" She said pointing to me. I sighed and stood up. I walked towards the door but Temari pulled me away. "Konkuro will do it… since it's his fault…" She muttered. I stepped back and Konkuro slowly opened the door. He opened it and there was nothing in sight. It was completely silent as well. Konkuro leaned in to see if she was okay. "Suna?" He called out. Suddenly he was barraged by something brown. Konkuro screamed as well as Temari. After a moment I lifted up the puppet that was lying on Konkuro and they both calmed down. Suna stepped out of the shadow of the basement I saw that the strings were still attached. I threw the puppet into the basement and Suna shut the door behind her. She walked over, laughing. We high fived then she walked over towards Temari who gave her a smaller high five. Then she walked over to where Konkuro was lying on the ground and offered him her hand. He reluctantly took it and stood up. He then smiled. "Nice!" He exclaimed. We all broke out into a small laugh as we walked back into the living room. We all returned to our spots on the floor and Suna looked around. "Gaara?" She said calmly. I turned towards her to see an evil look in her eyes. "Truth or dare?" She asked sinisterly. "Dare?" I said. I wasn't sure which would be worse. "I dare you to tell me what happened when you got stuck in that haunted house?" She said pointing her thumb towards the hallway. I sighed. "Well it was a few years ago… Konkuro really likes Halloween and creates a haunted house with his non functional puppets in the basement… I didn't know that he did this so when I went down into the basement to get something, I got locked inside. I heard movement and things began to grab at me… I didn't have my gourd so I had no sand… I ended up hiding in a corner until the next morning when Temari found me…" I said lowering my head. Suna didn't laugh so I looked up at her. Her eyes were caring. "I see… well I'll have to make sure to get Konkuro for that one…" She said with an evil smirk as she turned towards Konkuro. I turned towards him with a blank expression. "Truth or dare?" I asked. He gulped before answering. "Truth." "Is it true you tuck your puppets in at night?" I asked smugly. Suna let out a small giggle. Konkuro lowered his head and mumbled his answer. "What was that? I didn't hear you?" I said with a smirk. "Yes…" He said a bit louder. Suna let out a small laugh and Konkuro's head shot up. "Shut it! What did you do with your's?" He yelled at her. Suna gave him a small smile. "I hung her up in my closet." She said simple as she tilted her head and closed her eyes, giving him a very innocent smile. "Why don't you ever have her around?" Temari asked out of the blue. "Father…" Suna muttered. "What happened?" Konkuro questioned. "Well back when I was in a squad and all that… Well one of our team mates died on a C rank mission… so my father took me out… seeing as I'm the only heir to the Arashi family… And I kept practicing and stuff, but my father said I had to quit being a shin obi all together… he took her and used her for fire wood…" She said hanging her head. Konkuro's eyes were wide. "What! Come on we're gonna make you a new puppet!" He said as he stood up and grabbed her hand to lead her down he hall. Temari stood up and gave him a dirty look. "Not today…" She said coldly. Konkuro let go of her wrist and Suna returned to sitting next to me. "Don't worry Konkuro… I'll be around a lot anyways… we'll have lots of time to make a new puppet…" She said with a smile as he sat back down. The game went on for a couple more hours but Konkuro and Temari started getting tired. I looked at Suna for a moment. "Why aren't you tired?" I questioned. "Long story…" She said looking down. I sighed. I saw Konkuro and Temari stand up to walk upstairs to their rooms. I heard their doors close and I looked around to find Suna sitting cross legged on the couch. "Well I guess we have to go to bed now…" I mumbled. She stood up and began walking up the stairs. I was a few feet behind. We reached the two last doors and either wall and at the very end of the hall was the bathroom. Suna opened the door of the room on the left while I opened the door of the room on the right. I turned around before she entered her room entirely. "I lied earlier…" I mumbled. She looked at me confused. "Never mind…" I mumbled as I turned back around to enter my room. I closed the door behind me and plopped onto my bed. I let out a sigh and lay there amongst the crimson sheets and the moon light…


	37. Where Will You Go?

**Chapter 37**

**Gaara**

Part way through the night I heard movement. I sat up and listened to the noise. There were light footsteps followed by the sliding of a glass door, and finally a scraping sound on the wall. I got off my bed and stepped out onto my balcony. I looked around and saw that the glass doors to Suna's room were open. I walked over but she wasn't in her room. I walked back towards the glass doors that were connected to my room when I heard something. A voice. It was softly singing. I looked around but no one. I looked up. I had heard a climbing sound. I quietly climbed up the wall.

"You're too important for anyone…You play the role of all you long to be…But I, I know who you really are…You're the one who cries when you're alone…But where will you go…With no one left to save you from yourself…You can't escape…You can't escape…You think that I can't see right through your eyes…Scared to death to face reality…No one seems to hear your hidden cries…You're left to face yourself alone…But where will you go *where will you go?With no one left to save you from yourself…You can't escape the truth…I realize you're afraid *I realize*But you can't abandon everyone…You can't escape…You don't want to escape…I am so sick of speaking words that no one understands…Is it clear enough that you can't live your whole life all alone…I can hear you in a whisper…But you can't even hear me screaming…Where will you go *where will you go?*With no one left to save you from yourself…You can't escape the truth…I realize you're afraid *I realize*But you can't reject the whole world…You can't escape…You won't escape…You can't escape…You don't want to escape…"

There on the roof top was a female. I quietly got my footing. The wind blew her hair around but it was too dark to see the colour. She had a long shirt on. She wore leggings with shorts over top. Her hip sack was open slightly and she was wearing simple shoes. I stood there. Waiting for her to notice me, but she didn't… Instead I heard a muffled sound… like tears… I took a step forwards but it was too loud and she noticed me. She took off instantly. Jumping across the roof tops. I sighed. It was too dark to track her properly, who ever she was… I'd have to send out a search party tomorrow then. I climbed back down to the balcony and re-entered the room. I went towards my bed to find a small note.

_Too many city blocks with crumbled walks and blue-collar spendersToo many boarded shops, shops and no-where job for faded contendersI close my eyes and let go and nobody knows youI close my eyes and let go and no one controls youI keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravityLying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravityLiving for the dawn keeps me hanging onHole in my pocket got me locked inside a job that I hateI got a dream about a scene but I'm still stuck in my stateI close my eyes and let go and nobody knows you (No, No, No)I close my eyes and let go and no one controls youI keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravityLying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravityLiving for the dawn keeps me hanging on, on, on, on, on… hanging on…I keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravityLying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravityLiving for the dawn keeps me hanging on…_I read this, but I couldn't comprehend what was meant by it at the time… I rested my head and waited for morning…


	38. English Class

**Chapter 38**

**Yami**

I sighed as I walked into my first class of the day. I had spent the previous hour at the library researching phobias and illnesses. I had just added yet another phobia to my list… I had a total of 12 now…

Aeroacrophobia

Agrizoophobia

Algophobia

Arachnophobia

Arsonphobia

Athazagoraphobia

Automatonophobia

Ballistophobia

9. Hylephobia

10. Isolophobia

11. Lilapsophobia

12. Vaccinophobia

I sat down at my back row seat and pulled out my note book. I began to draw, I smirked at my perfect mimic of my favourite Naruto character: Gaara. I finished with his "Ai" symbol before I looked up to see the rest of my classmates wander in. They lingered around the classroom and chatted about some party that would be happening this Friday… I sighed and began another drawing of another character. I thought for a moment, and finally decided upon drawing Tobi. He was pretty easy and I was done quickly. The warning bell went and all my classmates ran out in a last minute effort to socialize with their cliques. I sighed and put away my note book temporarily. The final bell went and everyone entered. They sat on their desks and socialized until the teacher entered. "Hello class!" She announced as she set her keys and water bottle on the table in the front of the room. I looked up at the women. She had black hair and brown eyes, very average… She wore a sports jacket and black jeans. She put on the power point, and began the lesson. I listened but drew at the same time, I was a multi-tasker. I looked down at one point and saw I had drawn another picture of Gaara. I sighed and wrote down a few notes, so if the teacher walked around she wouldn't think I had done nothing but draw. Part way through the lesson Ms. Tiwala decided to add a video to the lesson. I watched the first minute or so of the video before I began to tune it out and draw Zetsu. He was always a bit challenging but I managed to draw him pretty well… I sighed as I erased and re-drew his outer shell over and over till it was almost perfect. I sighed and changed the page. Then I heard the warning bell. I looked up to see the homework for English was to read the next chapter and to answer the questions. "Alright everyone! Have a good day!" She called out as the bell went of and we filed out of the classroom. I walked down the halls, holding my note book close to my chest. I wandered towards my next classroom, my brown hair dangling around my head, hiding my hazel eyes and my deep frown…


	39. Green Tea and A Singer

**Chapter 39**

**Gaara**

I walked through the streets of Sunagakure towards the Arashi estate. I reached the festival and decided to visit the café. I walked through the crowds into the café, there was a stage at one end and the counter at the other. I sat down at a table and was soon greeted by a waitress. I looked up but she was hiding all of her face, except for her eyes. "How may I help you sir?" She stuttered out. "Green tea please?" I asked. She nodded and wandered off. I looked towards the stage which was empty at the time. The girl I had seen the other day, the festival planner, stepped onto the stage. "I'm sorry you've had to wait so long for our singer, she's been absent for a bit… I hope you will be satisfied by the radio till then…" She said mumbling the last part. "Nah… I'm here…" Said a familiar and confident voice. The girl turned towards the left side of the stage, a smile spread across her face. I looked to the left of the stage to see a familiar head of red and blonde hair. I smirked. I still wanted to know where she had disappeared to over the last couple weeks, but now wouldn't be the time… She stepped up onto the stage. "P-Princess!" The purple haired girl stuttered out. Suna just raised a hand. "Don't call me princess…" She said calmly. The girl nodded and stepped back towards the microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Suna Arashi!" She called out into the microphone, before stepping away from the microphone. Suna approached the microphone and looked around the room. "Hello everyone… I'd like to start with one of my newer songs…" She said with a smile

"All the right friends in all the wrong places…So yeah, we're going down…They got all the right moves in all the right faces…So yeah, we're going down…Just paint the picture of a perfect place…They got it better than what anyone's told you…They'll be the Queens of Hearts, and you're the King of Spades…Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers…I know we've got it good…But they got it made…And the grass is getting greener each day…I know things are looking up…But soon they'll take us down…before anybody's knowing our name…They got all the right friends in all the right places…So yeah, we're going down…We've got all the right moves and all the wrong faces…So yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…Do you think I'm special?Do you think I'm nice?Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?Between the noise you hear…And the sound you like…Are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?It can be possible that rain can fall…Only when it's over our heads…The sun is shining everyday, but it's far away…Over the world is death…They got,They got,All the right friends in all the wrong places…So yeah, we're going down…They got, all the right moves and all the wrong faces…So yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…It don't matter what you see…I know I could never be…Someone that'll look like you…It don't matter what you say…I know I could never face…someone that could sound like you…All the right friends in all the wrong places…So yeah, we're going down…They got all the right moves and all the right faces…So yeah, we're going down…All the right friends in all the wrong places…So yeah, we're going down…They got all the right moves and all the right faces…So yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going…Yeah, we're going down…Yeah, we're going down…Yeah, we're going down…*All the right moves, hey*Yeah, we're going down…*All the right moves, hey*Yeah, we're going down…"

She sang along to a melody and I listened intently, she finished and looked towards the back of the room, where the counter was. She looked around a bit and then noticed me. I gave her a small wave and she smiled back. "Alright then… do I have any audience requests. I see a lot of familiar faces and I know many of you have heard me perform before…" She said into the microphone. There were hushed conversations before a guy with dark blue hair stood up. "Could you please sing Dust in Gravity?" He asked before sitting back down. Suna smiled. "I haven't sung that one in a while…" She said before the melody began.

"Too many city blocks with crumbled walks and blue-collar spenders…Too many boarded shops, shops and no-where job for faded contenders…I close my eyes and let go and nobody knows you…I close my eyes and let go and no one controls you…I keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravity…Lying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravity…Living for the dawn keeps me hanging on…Hole in my pocket got me locked inside a job that I hate…I got a dream about a scene but I'm still stuck in my state…I close my eyes and let go and nobody knows you… *No, No, No*I close my eyes and let go and no one controls you…I keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravity…Lying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravity…Living for the dawn keeps me hanging on, on, on, on, on… hanging on…I keep staring at the stars, waiting for my life to change like dust in gravity…Lying with my head above the clouds, I don't want a life in vain like dust in gravity…Living for the dawn keeps me hanging on…"

She sand strong with a smile and then the melody died down. "Alright I'd like to sing another song, this one I wrote very recently…" She said as the melody began.

"Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up…We're hiding behind skin that's too tough…How come we don't say I love you enough…Till it's to late, it's not too late…Our hearts are hungry for the food that won't come…And we could make a feast from these crumbs…And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun…So if your life flashed before you…What would you wish you would've done…Yeah, we gotta start…Looking at the hands of the time we've been given…If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking…If every second counts on a clock that's ticking…Gotta live like we're dying…We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to…Turn it all around or to throw it all away…We gotta tell them that we love them…While we got the chance to say…Gotta live like we're dying…And if your plane fell out of the skies…Who would you call with your last goodbye?Should be so careful who we let out our lives…So when we long for absolution…There'll no one on the line, yeah…Yeah, we gotta start…Looking at the hands of the time we've been given…If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking…If every second counts on a clock that's ticking…Gotta live like we're dying…We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to…Turn it all around or to throw it all away…We gotta tell them that we love them…While we got the chance to say…Gotta live like we're dying…Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…

Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to…Turn it all around or to throw it all away…We gotta tell them that we love them…While we got the chance to say…Gotta live like we're dying…You never know a good thing till it's gone…You never see a crash till it's head on..Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong…You never know a good thing till it's gone…Yeah, we gotta start…Looking at the hands of the time we've been given…If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking…If every second counts on a clock that's ticking…Gotta live like we're dying…We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to…Turn it all around or to throw it all away…We gotta tell them that we love them…While we got the chance to say…Gotta live like we're dying…Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to…Turn it all around or to throw it all away…We gotta tell them that we love them…While we got the chance to say…Gotta live like we're dying…" She sang harmoniously and I sat there drinking my tea, listening to her truthful lyrics. I smiled at the fact that her songs were so true. She finished and the melody died down. There was noise from the counters behind me. Everyone turned towards the counter to see a women with long blonde hair walking through the room towards a few people. On her way back to the counter she approached me , she slipped me an envelope and continued walking. The next song began and I opened the envelope.

_You are invited to the secret midnight birthday party of Suna Arashi…_

_Please meet at the back gate of the Arashi estate and you will be greeted and lead to the party…_

_Please remember this is secret and thank you for being someone Suna has as a friend…_

_Sincerely; Hikari Arashi_

I smiled and looked back towards the stage, she had finished another song and now was taking audience requests once more… "Could you sing Bullet-proof?" A girl requested. Suna gave a nod and another melody began to fill the café.

"Been there, done that, messed around…I'm having fun don't put me down…I'll never let you sweep me off my feet…I won't let you in again, the messages I've tried to send…my information's just not going in..burnin' bridges shore to shore, I'll break away from something more…I'm not to, not to love until it's cheap…been there, done that, messed around…I'm having fun don't put me down…I'll never let you sweep me off my feet…This time baby…I'll be…Bullet-proof…

This time baby…I'll be…Bullet-proof…I won't let you turn around…and tell me now I'm much too proud…to walk away from something when it's dead…do, do, do your dirty words come out to play when you are heard…there's certain things that should be left unsaid…tick, tick, tick, tick on the watch and life's too short for me to stop…Oh baby, your time is running out…I won't let you turn around…and tell me now I'm much too proud…All you do is fill me up with doubt…Chorus:This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…

This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…

This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…This time I'll be bullet-proof…

This time I'll be bullet-proof…This time maybe I'll be bullet-proof…

This time maybe I'll be bullet-proof…This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…

This time baby I'll be bullet-proof…"

She finished and claps and cheers filled the café. I clapped and sent her a smile. She smiled back then looked around… "Alright everyone! This will be the last song for now… I'll be back later, but I have to go do something…" She explained. The crowd let out a small whine before Suna began the final song.

"Door closes…I'm blown away…Goodnight kiss…You drive me crazy…Watch you go…Till your car's out of sight…You can take me out…Every night…Can't get you out of my head…I'm getting' ready to fall over you…You're sticking like glue…Yeah I want you all to myself…Can't get you off of my mind…I'm feeling lucky to start…I don't know…It's not for sure…But you got something different…And I can't stop falling…I can't stop falling…No I can't stop falling for you…*I'm falling*Come closer..Sweet maybe…One touch enough…I'm going crazy…Don't let go…I've never been here before…So into you…You leave me wantin´ more…Can't get you out of my head…I'm gettin´ ready to fall over you…You're sticking like glue…Yeah I want you all to myself…Can't get you off of my mind…I'm feeling lucky to start…I don't know…It's not for sure…But you got something different…And I can't stop falling…I can't stop falling…No I can't stop falling for you…*I'm falling*I'm a helpless love…I can't get enough…I'll bet you I'm not gonna let you go…Can't get you out of my head…I'm gettin´ ready to fall over you…You're sticking like glue…Yeah I want you all to myself…Can't get you off of my mind…I'm out of my mind…Boy cause you got something different…And I can't stop falling…I can't stop falling…No I can't stop falling for you…I'm falling…No I can't stop falling…I can't stop falling…No I can't stop falling for you…*falling I'm falling*Door closes…I'm blown away…Goodnight kiss…You drive me crazy…"

She sang in melodically voice. "Thank you everyone! I've loved singing for you! I'll see you again later!" She said, raising her arms before she stepped off of the stage. I smiled and ordered another green tea…


	40. Conversation Between Souls

**Chapter 40**

**Suna**

I walked through the streets, my face hidden by my hair. I walked, hands in my jean pockets and my hood up. I walked towards a small park. I sat there on the swing and closed my eyes. I smirked when she began her chatting.

_**Well? Have you come to your senses?**_

_What do you mean by that?_

_**Are you really going to risk your life and friendships, even that relationship with the redhead… just to get rid of me?**_

_Yes…_

_**Why?**_

_It's a risk to everyone around me… I'd rather die then have everyone else die because of me… I've always been the type to risk it all for those who are close to me… they are the few I have…_

_**You've never been alone… you've had me fore your entire life…**_

_You aren't a physical person… I can't feel your hugs… I can't keep a picture of you in my room… nothing like that…_

She went silent and I sighed. I looked up and saw the sun was slowly going down. I stood up and took a few steps till I was at the edge of the playground. I felt the sand swirl around me and I was standing outside of the Arashi back gate. I pushed it opened and walked through the back walkways of the estate. I jumped onto the rooftop and walked upon the roof till I reached my window. I crawled in the window and flopped onto my bed. I sat up and saw something. On my pillow was a small box. I smiled and picked it up. There was no tag on it so I had no idea who it was from, until I opened it that is. I pulled out the tissue paper and found a necklace. It was a silver chain with a charm. I examined the charm closely, it was a kanji symbol. Tamashi, meaning soul… I smiled and put the necklace on. I pulled my hair out from under the chain and lay back in my bed. I lay there and eventually passed out…


	41. Hatred Within the Soul

**Chapter 41**

**Gaara**

I walked to the back gates of the Arashi estate and waited. I waited at the gates for a good ten minutes before something happened. Suddenly there was a flash of red flames and then a women emerged from the flames, they immediately died down to nothing. She gave me a smile and held out her hand as if to shake mine. I just gave a small smile and she nodded. She carefully, and quietly, opened the gate and closed it behind us. She led me down a series of back pathways until we reached a small grassy pathway. She gestured for me to continue walking on my own and I did such. She on the other hand, headed back towards the gates. I walked down the grassy path for a good fifty feet before I saw something. There were red lights woven into the trees along the path. I followed the red lights till I reached a clearing. There was a blanket on the grassy ground, with food covering it. There were other blankets all over the clearing and then I saw the view. A clear view of the ocean, and that's when I questioned how far I had actually walked. I heard a voice, I looked around and saw a tiny silhouette against the moonlight. I began to walk towards the voice as silent as I possibly could. She didn't seem to notice me.

"I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears…And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave…Your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone…These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real…There's just too much that time cannot erase…When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears…When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears…And I held your hand through all of these years…But you still have all of me…You used to captivate me by your resonating light…Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind…Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams…Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me…These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real…There's just too much that time cannot erase…When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears…When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears…And I held your hand through all of these years…But you still have all of me…I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone…But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along…When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears…When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears…And I held your hand through all of these years…But you still have all of me, me, me…"

I sat down beside her at the edge of the cliff and looked to see who was singing. Suna? She looked around and spotted me beside her. She blushed then looked down quickly. "You heard me?" She mumbled through her hair. I nodded lightly. She hung her head for a moment, then her head suddenly shot up. I gave her a confused looked but she was smiling. I gave her a small smile back. "Thank you for the necklace…" She said as she held up the charm around her necklace. She leaned back in the moonlight and began to sing another song, low enough that only the two of us could hear…

"Ohhh oohh oohh oohh ahh ohh ohh oohh oohh oohh ohh ohh oooh ohh…

Ohhh oohh oohh oohh ahh ohh ohh oohh oohh oohh ohh ohh oooh ohh…

Ohhh oohh oohh oohh ahh ohh ohh oohh oohh oohh ohh ohh oooh ohh…

Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear…Sealed with lies through so many tears…Lost from within and pursuing the end…I fight for the chance to be lied to again…You will never be strong enough…You will never be good enough…You were never conceived in love…You will not rise above…They'll never see…I'll never be…I struggle on and on to feed this hunger…Burning deep inside of me…But through my tears breaks a blinding light…Birthing a dawn to this endless night…Arms outstretched, awaiting me…An open embrace upon a bleeding tree…Rest in me and I'll comfort you…I have lived and I died for you…Abide in me and I vow to you…I will never forsake you…They'll never see…I'll never be…I struggle on and on to feed this hunger…Burning deep inside of me…They'll never see…I'll never be…I struggle on and on to feed this hunger…Burning deep inside of me…Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh

Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh

Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh

Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh

Rest in me and I'll comfort you…I have lived yet died for you…Abide in me and I vow to you…I will never forsake you…They'll never see…I'll never be…I struggle on and on to feed this hunger…Burning deep inside of me…Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh…Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh…Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh…

Ohhh oohh ahh oohh ahh ohh…"

I listened to her sweet melodies until she finished. She breathed for a moment and we sat in silence. "Who is that about?" I asked her, curious. She looked up at the moon and I saw one single tear stroll down her cheek. "You can tell me…" I said wiping away the tear. She looked towards me with sorry eyes.

"Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside…Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without…Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow…Oh, but God I wanna let it go…Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone…Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show…Never wanted it to be so cold…Just didn't drink enough to say you love me…I can't hold on to me…Wonder what's wrong with me…Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside…Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without…Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow…Don't wanna let it lay me down this time…Drown my will to fly…Here in the darkness I know myself…Can't break free until I let it go, let me go…Darling, I forgive you after all…Anything is better than to be alone…And in the end I guess I had to fall…Always find my place among the ashes…I can't hold on to me…Wonder what's wrong with me…Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside….Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without…Lithium, stay in love with mmm…I'm gonna let it go…"

She sang in a low voice, I could barely hear her. I heard movement and turned around to see a group of people. I stood up and began to walk towards the main blankets and such. Suna followed. We heard a large group approach and then we heard singing.

"Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep…I've got a sick obsession, I'm seeing it in my dreams…I'm looking down every alley, I'm making those desperate calls…I'm staying up all night hoping, Hit my head against the walls…What you've got boy is hard to find…Think about it all about it all the time…I'm all strung up my heart is fried…I just cant get you off my mind…Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug…Your love your love your love…I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug…Your love your love your love…Won't listen to any advice, mamma's telling me to think twice…But left to my own devices I'm addicted its a crisis…My friends think I've gone crazy, my judgment is getting kinda hazy…My status is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a love sick crack-head…What you've got boy is hard to find…Think about it all about it all the time…I'm all strung up my heart is fried…I just cant get you off my mind…Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug…Your love your love your love…I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug…Your love your love your love…I don't care what people say…The rush is worth the price I pay…I get so high when you're with me…But crash and crave you when you are away…So I got a question;Do you want to have a slumber party in my basement?Do I make your heart beat like a 8-0-8 drum?Is my love, your drug?*huh* Your drug? *huh* your drug? *huh* your drug?Is my love, your drug?Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug…Your love your love your love…I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug…

Your love your love your love…

Your love your love your love…"

A female sang as she entered the clearing. I gave Suna a questioning look. She gave me a face, as if the answer had been obvious. "Cousin." She stated simply. I nodded and watched as they entered. The blonde girl walked right over and sat next to Suna. She gave Suna a large, random hug. "Pati? Did you have some sake before you came here?" She asked, as if she already knew the answer. Pati gave a drunken nod before she looked towards me. She gave me a wink and I gave her a blank expression, causing her to produce a playful pout. I plainly sighed. She stood up and staggered over towards some other guy. Suna turned around gave me a sorry look. I shrugged it off as Suna stood up. "Hey everyone!" She said meekly. Everyone broke out into a series of claps, cheers and hollers. She looked around at the group and gave a large sigh, followed by a laugh. Pati broke out into a laugh with her, after a minute or two of laughing they calmed down. "Why were we laughing?" Pati asked in between breathes. Suna, Pati and another girl with light brown hair broke out into another set of laughs. I sighed, this would be an interesting night…


	42. The Still Doll With Her Blank Eyes

**Chapter 42**

**Suna**

The evening went on crazily for the first hour or so. I eventually managed to escape my crazy cousin Pati and go hang out with Gaara. "Hey." I said in a hushed voice as I sat down beside him. He turned towards me and gave me a small smile. "Sorry about Pati… she's a little insane…" I said as I spin my finger in a circle. He let out a small chuckle. "What's up?" I asked. "Nothing really… just thinking…" He responded. I saw something in his hand. I yanked it out of his loose grip and began to flip through the small book. He was frozen for a second but then he responded to my action. I was stuck, my side pinned to the ground and my arm outstretched so he couldn't retrieve his book. He huffed and eventually sat back up. I smirked, sat up and flipped another page. I read what was written. "Gaara? I didn't know you wrote songs…" I said with a small smirk. He looked down. I tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up. I gave him a big smile. "It's a beautiful song…" I said before I handed him his book back. He just held it there for a moment, then held it out to me. "No… I'd like you to have them… You're a lot better at singin' than me… You could turn them into something beautiful…" He said as he placed it in my hands. I smiled. "It's already beautiful…" I said as I held it there. He smirked. "You what I'm saying…" He said. I smiled and nodded. I placed the book in my bag. He looked at my bag. "Where's your ninja tools?" He asked. I froze up at his question. He forced me to face him. "You didn't…" He asked coldly. I attempted to hang my head but he was still holding me by the chin. I felt tears slowly run down my cheeks. He shook his head slowly. I felt the tears begin to flow harder. I felt fabric bombard my face. "G-Gaara… I'm sorry… It was a constant reminder…" I mumbled through his shirt. He sat me up and looked me in the eyes. "Don't run away from your fears… I know it hurt you… Obviously… The entire village was on the search for you the last two weeks…" He said sympathetically. I stopped the tears.

"Hi Miss Alice…With your glass eyes…What kind of dream…Can you see?Are you fascinated with?Still…My heart tears…And drifts…Stuck in the patched crevices…Are memories…Hi Miss Alice…With that fruitful lips…To whom does love…Is cast away?Is lamented?Already…I spin my words…Feverish tongue…Has turned cold…The song to love…Can't be sung either…Still you do not answer…"

I sang in a low yet high voice. I looked up at the moon. Gaara followed my gaze. I sat there mesmerized by the moonlight. I looked into the glowing orb and swore I could see something. A girl. Brown hair and hazel eyes. She had nothing but a frown and her eyes were emotionless and lost. I felt her soul mix within mine own. "Who are you?" I asked the girl. That's when I realized I was no longer with the others. I was probably not within their consciousness. She looked me straight in the eyes and showed nothing. She said nothing, but a melody filled the blackness around us. I looked out into the darkness, then looked back to her. She held a small puppet by the strings. A marionette to be exact. The marionette's eyes showed emotion and her tiny mouth opened to reveal a heavenly voice.

"Hi Miss Alice…With your glass eyes…What kind of dream…Can you see?Are you fascinated with?Still…My heart tears…And drifts…Stuck in the patched crevices…Are memories…Hi Miss Alice…With that fruitful lips…To whom does love…Is cast away?Is lamented?Already…I spin my words…Feverish tongue…Has turned cold…The song to love…Can't be sung either…Still you do not answer…"

The marionette sang truthfully, the same song that I had known to be true to myself. "who are you?" I asked once more, my voice an echo in the blackness. I saw light return. The black faded away in splotches. I was back, sitting there staring at the blank moon. I returned to reality and looked to check on the insanity level of my cousin. Pati was napping on a blanket. I heard foot steps coming towards the entrance of the clearing. Everyone's already here. I ran towards the clearing. "Who's there!" I called out into the darkness of the forest. There was a snicker from a male. I growled lowly. "Suna that hurts." He said with fake pain in his voice. "I can't believe you don't remember me." He said as he stepped out from behind the shadows of a tree. I stood there, frozen with shock. "M-M-Mizu!" I blurted out as the blue haired boy approached me. He snickered. "Nice to see you too…" He said lifting my head up by the chin…


	43. Revenge for my Pain

**Chapter 43**

**Gaara**

I heard Suna's panicked voice. I stood up and ran towards the edge of the clearing. "Suna!?" I called out into the darkness when I reached there. I heard light sobs. "Suna." I said as I searched through the nearby trees. I reached a smaller clearing about fifteen feet from the large one. There she was. Facing off with someone. "Suna." I said lowly as I entered behind her. She nodded without looking at me. I stood there, I knew that I wasn't to interfere unless she was in grave danger. "Ahh… Gaara-Sama… good to see you again…" Said a familiar voice. My head shot towards the person across from Suna. "Mizu." I said hiding my shock. "You're dead. How is it you came to be here?" I questioned. He smirked. "Gaara… you know perfectly well… You were in on it…" He said with a smirk as he stepped into a ray of moonlight. I growled lowly. This wasn't him. I could tell. He always used honorifics. "Mizu. Why are you trying to frame Gaara-Kun?" Suna asked simply, as if nothing She had not been witness to his very death. "Did you just call him Gaara-Kun?" He questioned with a smirk. Suna froze up for about half a second then looked to the side. I tried to contemplate her reaction. "How is it that you've come to be so attached to the one you found annoying and cold?" He said with a smirk. "I didn't say that." Suna responded angrily. Mizu's smirk widened. "Suna." I said, emotionless. She turned towards me her eyes wide with innocence. "What?" She said low. "He's trying to cause a fight… trying to eliminate us both without getting his hands dirty. Who ever he is…" I said looking at him coldly. She nodded and instantly whipped around. "Ahhhh!" She yelled as she ran towards him, scroll in hand. She swung it open as she ran and it wrapped around the impostor's body. He struggled but was incapable of moving. I smirked. "So you didn't quit." I said as I leant against a tree. She turned her head towards me slightly. "Actually… I did… but this has got me pissed beyond believe." She said with a smirk. She made a few hand symbols and there was a noise erupting from the scroll. Suddenly he gacked out in pain. I saw a puddle of blood form below him. "You want me to finish it?" I asked stepping forward slightly. She shook her head. "Start running. Head back to the clearing… It'll be far enough…" She said. "Suna." I said firmly. "GAARA!" she yelled at me before a wave of sand forced me back. I nodded and began to run. What was she doing now? I ran back and soon I had reached the far end of the clearing where the party was. I sat down on a blanket. She said this would be far enough. What could she be doing? Something that spreads. Fire? No. My eyes bulged out as I realized what the scroll would do. I heard the thudding of feet. There was till nothing. Was it possible to time such a thing? I stood up in an effort to see if it was Suna who was running. She ran towards the blanket by the cliff edge. She ran straight towards me. I stood there waiting. Suddenly there was a large ripple and a wave of power as a large flame rose into the sky. Suna jumped dodging the flames but going over the edge. "Suna!" I yelled as I reached out. She was already falling. I focused my sand on forming shields. Then jumped down myself. I felt the cliff side fall apart as I pulled the sand from it. The sand formed a soft landing pad above the water that we landed in. "Gaara!" She screamed as she hugged me. "Don't be an idiot…" She mumbled into my shoulder. I forced her to sit up and face me. "I wasn't being an idiot… I was protecting the clouds that protect me from the heat of the sun…" I said with a smile. She smiled back. "Thank you…" She said lowly. I forced the sand to move upwards. And within a good fifteen minutes we were back at the top of the cliff. Suna stepped off and I followed. I looked at the domes. They were pure and strong glass. Suna smirked. "Now that's an effective explosive." She said as she knocked the back of her knuckle against the glass. I smirked as well. She then turned to face the glass. "Gaara? Can you form smaller sand shield within?" She said blankly. "Yes… but why?" I asked. "Oh nothing… could you please?" She responded. I complied and formed the sand shield within the glass ones. She then raised an arm. She's gonna punch it? She brought her arm down with such force that it shattered the glass into thousands, if not millions of beautiful shards. A strong breeze blew through, blowing away the shards towards the moon. I smiled and released the sand. They hadn't even awoke. I smiled and laid down on one of the patches of grass. Suna chose the remaining blanket and curled into it with a smile across her face. What is it about the moonlight that makes everything seem to be made of glass?


	44. A Unreachable Wish

_**Chapter 44**_

_**Yami**_

_I sat at the kitchen table. I had my earphones in and the Cardigans rung through my head. _

"_Dear, I fear we're facing a problem…you love me no longer, I know…and maybe there is nothing…that I can do, to make you do…Mama tells me I shouldn't bother…that I ought just stick to another, man…a man that surely deserves me…but I think you do!So I cry, and I pray and I beg…Love me love me…say that you love me…fool me fool me…go on and fool me…love me love me…pretend that you love me…lead me lead me…just say that you need me…So I cried, and I begged for you to…_

_Love me love me…say that you love me…lead me lead me…just say that you need me…I can't care about anything but you…Lately I have desperately pondered…spent my nights awake and I wonder…what I could have done in another way…to make you stay…Reason will not reach a solution…I will end up lost in confusion…I don't care if you really care…as long as you don't go…So I cry, I pray and I beg…Love me love me…say that you love me…fool me fool me…go on and fool me…love me love me…pretend that you love me…lead me lead me…just say that you need me…So I cried, and I begged for you to…_

_Love me love me…say that you love me…lead me lead me…just say that you need me…I can't care about anything but you…Anything but you…Love me love me…say that you love me…fool me fool me…go on and fool me…Love me love me…I know that you need me…I can't care about anything but you…"_

_I lowly sang along to the song as I drew Pein on my sketch pad. I scowled as I redid his ear piercing, twice. There was a sudden crash. I looked up and saw that my brother had walked into the cupboard again… I sighed and returned to my drawing. I finished soon and looked up at the clock. 5:47 pm. I sighed and flipped to a new page of my sketch pad. I quickly drew an image of Konan. She stood in front of a microphone and wore an elegant long dress of dark blue. I smiled at my drawing. I really wished that they were real… Even the Akatsuki… they would be a better family than the one I currently had. Well of course they would, I don't have a family… I sighed and stood up. I looked to the clock again. 6:22 pm. I picked up my sketch pad and pencil case. I placed them in my bag, which crossed across my chest with a soft tiny string, and closed up the bag. I walked outside and stepped inside my mother's car. I sat there beside my sister. Biologically I had a family… It just never felt like they were my real family… We arrived slightly early for our choir practice. "I'll be here for the recital tonight…" She said as she waved us goodbye and drove off. My little sister skipped down the hall of the community center and entered the room. I entered reluctantly and sat down at a table against the back wall. I sat there and drew a small Tobi chibi in the corner of my image of "Pacman Zetsu version"_

_The choir instructor entered and spun around the room, handing out costumes and such. I sighed as she approached my table. "Yami… I have a great outfit for you…" she said with a smile. I sighed and placed my bag on the table. She led me down hallway to the costume room. I looked around, a collection of costumes from the series of plays performed over the years. She finally reached the back area. I followed reluctantly. She then opened a small closet and pulled out something red. I gave a questioning look. She held out a dress. It was crimson with black lace trimming. It went down to about my knees. She then reached into the closet and pulled out a pair of black dress shoes and crimson knee high socks. I smiled. "Thank you." I said with a nod as I wandered out of the costume room. I walked down the hall to the change rooms. I pulled on the dress, it fit perfectly. It was as if the dress had specifically been made for me. I pulled up the socks and pulled on the shoes. I walked down the hall happily. This had never happened before. My costume had always been horrible before. Why was everything suddenly going right? I didn't really care much. I entered the meeting room and placed my clothes on the table beside my bag. I sat down and pulled out my sketch pad. I lowly sang my song as I drew a kunoichi. I smiled lightly. My name was called and I returned to reality. I was up next. I stepped out onto the upstage area. It was hidden by the curtain. The stage was designed as a giant child's room. I sat on a swing and swung lightly. I stopped swinging and stopped the swing from moving as I heard the choir exit from front stage. I heard a set of heels clack against the hard wood. There was speaking and then the curtains began to rise. I took the position as a doll on the swing and waited for the melody to begin and the lights to illuminate the stage._

_Hi, Miss Alice…Anata garasu no…Me de donna yume wo…Mirareru no? Mirareru no? Mata atashi…Kokoro ga sakete…Nagarederu…Tsukurotta…Sukima ni sasaru…Kioku-tachi…Hi, Miss Alice…Anata kajitsu no…Kuchi de dare ni ai wo…Nageteru no? Nageteru no? Mou atashi…Kotoba o tsumaku…Shita no netsu…Same kitte…Mederu outau mo…Utaenai…Still… _

_You… _

_Do not…_

_Answer…"_

_The crowd clapped and the curtain dropped. I felt pure happiness at how my performance had turned out. The rest of the night became a blur…_


	45. The Last in Wind Country

**Chapter 45**

**Suna**

I awoke uncomfortably. Why am I so uncomfortable? I sleep out under the stars all the time… I closed my eyes once more and tried to return to sleep. I was unsuccessful… I eventually decided I wasn't going to fall back asleep so I might as well get up now. I opened my eyes to be bombarded with white lights. I covered my eyes and hid under the covers. Where am I? I heard the hum of machinery and the constant even beat of a nearby machine. Wait! I'm at a hospital! I pulled the blanket down from over my head and laid on my side.. A nurse approached. I glared at her through the corner of my eye and she stepped back slightly. "Why am I here?" I asked through gritted teeth. She fumbled for a minute. "Kazekage-Sama brought you…" She finally said bowing her head. I sighed and rolled onto my back. At least it was Gaara that had brought me here. I looked around the room. Nothing but white and grey… I sighed and tried to close my eyes again. I heard a shuffling and mumbled conversation near the door. I sat up slowly. There was shuffling again and soon there were nurses helping me sit. I sighed as I rested my back against the pillow as I sat up. I looked around to see who the nurses had been talking to. There leaning in the doorway was Gaara. I smiled. He walked over and sat on the chair beside the bed. "Why am I here?" I asked him. He looked at me serious. "You were in a lot of pain last night… You were screaming in your sleep…" He said with sympathy in his eyes. I looked towards the window. "Did they find anything?" I asked after a moment. He shook his head. "Nothing…" He responded. I sighed slightly. "Why?" He suddenly said, his head shooting up. "No reason…" I said weakly as I hung my head. "Suna… Tell me." He said firmly. I felt the tears start to flow. "Suna? What's wrong?" He asked. I looked away. "It's a long story… And this is not where we should talk about it…" I mumbled. He suddenly stood up, causing me to swing my head around and see what he was doing. He held out a hand and wore a smile. "Then where do you want to talk about it?" He said softly. I smiled and took his hand so I could get out of the bed. A nurse ran in. "What is going on?" She asked frantically. Gaara looked at her calmly. "Suna is perfectly healthy… I'm pulling her out of the facilities so that the hospital can be prepared for another as soon as possible…" The nurse nodded and Gaara slowly led me towards the bathroom. I looked to the table beside the door and found my clothes. Gaara waited outside while I changed. It felt good to be in my ninja clothing again. I walked out of the hospital and Gaara walked next to me. The sun came down warm and gentle. I basked in the sunlight for a moment. We walked for a bit. "Where should we talk about it?" He asked. "My house I guess?" I mumbled as we walked. Gaara froze up at this. "What?" I asked as I turned around to face him. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You've been out for a month… They found nothing wrong with you but you still were unconscious… and… During that time… an assassin… was hired to kill off the Arashi family…" He said as he kept his hand firmly on my shoulder. I felt tears flow freely. "No!" I cried out. Gaara pulled me a bit closer and I cried into his shirt. "Come…" He said after I had slowed the tears a bit. "So I'm the last Arashi?" I asked after a while. He shook his head. "A few escaped… but you are the last biological Arashi in wind country…" I looked to the ground. He stopped. I looked up to see we were at his house. He knocked at the door. It was quickly opened by a apron wearing Temari. She froze up slightly when she saw me. "Suna! Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said pulling me into a hug. I just wore a blank expression as I entered the house. I sat in the living room and watched Konkuro tinker with one of his puppets. He looked up at me. "Don't worry Suna… We'll take care of him…" He said with a smirk. I smiled slightly. "Thanks Konkuro… I'll remember that…" I then stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Oh! Out! Out! Out!" She said as she shooed me out of the kitchen. I decided to see what Gaara was up to. I walked up the stairs and down the hall to the last door on the right. I knocked lightly and there was a muffled answer. "Huh?" I said as I pressed my ear to the door. "Come in!" He said a bit louder this time. I opened the door and found him on the floor reading a novel. "Since when do you read?" I questioned. "I get bored since I barely sleep…" He said. "Aren't you able to sleep now… I know that Shukaku has been removed… so there shouldn't be any worry about sleeping…" I questioned. He just shrugged. "I'm just used to staying up all night…" He said as he closed up the book. "Hey! I know that book!" I said pointing to the cover. "Oh yeah?" I questioned. "I've been trying to find out who the author is but she's not in any database…" He said as he propped himself up on his hands. I smiled. "I know who she is." I said simply. He instantly shot up. I smirked a little, he must really like the series. "Who." I said as he glared into my eyes. I playfully glared right back. It turned into a staring contest. Which he inevitably won. "Now tell." He said with a smirk at his victory. I sighed and sat back up. "Me." I said with a smile. He gave me a questionable look. Yami Tamashi is my writer's name… It's so people don't constantly bug me about my little stories I write late at night…" I said with a shrug. There was suddenly a large clatter down stairs. We both got to our feet and ran down stairs and took a fighting position as we entered the kitchen. We both took a normal stance when we saw it was just Temari. Gaara sighed and we walked back upstairs. I sat on the floor, leaning against the foot of his bed. I looked up at a spot on the maroon wall. Gaara attempted to follow my gaze. I then looked at him. "I'm not actually lookin' at anything… just spacing out…" I said with a small smile. "I guess you're wondering where you'll live now that your family is gone?" He said after a moment. I looked towards him and nodded silently. "You're always welcome to stay here…" He said as he changed the way he was sitting. I smiled and nodded. "I'd like that…" I said lowly. He nodded. "We'll move your stuff in tomorrow… or as soon as the sand storm lets up…" He said as he looked behind me. I turned around to see nothing but brown on the other side of the window. I sighed and sunk into the carpet a bit more. "So what was it we were going to speak about?" He asked sitting up. I looked at him. "Well it's a long story… But I'll try and explain…"


	46. Tamashī bokkusu of Sunagakure

**Chapter 46**

**Suna**

"What?" Gaara asked as he sat up straighter. I grabbed a chip out of the bag we had grabbed. "I said I'm the Tamashī bokkusu of Sunagakure…" I looked away from his gaze. His hand landed on my shoulder and I inevitably looked to him. "Please explain it better to me?" He said gently with a expression that was so unlike him. I fumbled with my words. "Well I guess it's based on my evident chakra…" I said looking down. "The strength that blew the great sand storm is similar to the power I emitted…" He raised a none existent eyebrow. I sighed and eat another chip. I let out one more sigh before looking back up straight into his eyes. "I caused the sand storm that almost destroyed this village." He retained a calm face. I looked out the window. The sand storm had died down but was still pretty intense. "It wasn't you." He said. I looked towards him. "But it was!" I said persistently. He just calmly shook his head. "It wasn't you… You would never hurt your village… It was the force brought with you…" He said with a sense of absolute truth. I smiled slightly. "Thank you…" I said looking down. He gave me a questioning look. "No one has ever told me it wasn't my fault… Everyone that has known this about me has said it was my fault…" He slowly got up. I looked towards him with a questioning look. "I'll show you to the guest room…" He said as he opened the door. I nodded and got up and followed him across the hall. "Thank you…" I said as I opened the door across from his room. "Seems the sand storm will be over by tomorrow… we'll be able to get your things…" He said. I smiled and nodded. "Again… Thank you…" I said before walking into the room. I closed the door behind me and walked across the room to where the bed lay. I crawled under the sheets and lay there. After about half an hour of trying to sleep I sat up and pulled out my journal from my hip pouch and began to write as a melody filled my mind…

* * *

**AN: sorry for the short chappter... but it's been a while since I updated and I also stopped her for a little emphasis... will update again soon... please review!**


	47. Moving in, Going out

**Chapter 47**

**Konkuro**

I was carrying Suna's things into the house since Gaara was at office and Temari was off somewhere… It was just the last bits of things so they weren't very heavy or bothersome. I walked into the house carrying a box full of clothing when I heard something. I set down the box and walked up the stairs slowly. It was the gentle melody of an acoustic guitar. It was coming from Suna's room. I gently pressed my ear against the door and I could hear her singing as well…

"You've got magic inside your finger tips…Its leaking out all over my skin…Every time that I get close to makin' me weak with the way through those eyes…And all I see is your i need is your touch…wake me up with your lips…come at me from up above…yeaaaa, oh i need you…I remember the way that you move…your dancin' easily through my dreams…its hittin' me harder and harder with all your smiles…you are crazy gentle in the way you kiss…All i see is your i need is your touch…wake me up with your lips…come at me from up above…Oh baby, i need see me, the way i see you…lovely, wide awake middle of my dreams…all i see is your i need is your touch…wake me up with your lips…come at me from up above…All i see is your i need is your touch…come at me from up above…yeaaaa,

oh oh da da da do do do do do…ahhhhhh…

I ... i need you…"

I pushed the door open and leaned in the doorway as she finished her song, not looking up from her guitar. "That who I think it's about?" I said breaking the silence. Her head shot up with a shocked look upon her face. She threw her guitar to the side as she retained her shocked form. I smirked. She blushed and grabbed her sheet music and held the sheet close to her. I felt a sense of smugness. She hung her head and her mid-length scarlet hair hid her face. I walked over. "It's okay… everyone has someone… you're just lucky to have found someone early…" I said placing a hand on her shoulder. Her head lifted slightly. "You think it'll ever happen?" She mumbled. "Huh?" I responded. "You think we'll ever be?" She asked. I knew instantly what was the matter… She had no confidence about herself. "You are already…" I said before walking out of the room. I returned with the remaining boxes and she was busy unpacking the boxes that had already been brought in. I placed down the boxes gently by the wall. "What you want for lunch?" I asked. She shrugged as she placed her clothes in the drawers. "I'll see what's in the kitchen…" I said as I walked out of the room. I walked down stairs and turned left to enter the kitchen. I looked through the cupboards but I found nothing good. "Suna!" I called out through the house. "Yeah?" She called back. "We got nothing! Wanna come shopping with me?" I responded. "Sure!" She said standing right behind me. I jumped slightly. "Damn your fast…" I said with a smirk as I rubbed my head from hitting it upon the cupboard. She was in her casual wear of black leggings and a maroon T-shirt that was slightly too large for her. She pulled on her flip-flops and walked out the door with her purse over her shoulder. We walked through the sunny streets of Sunagakure quietly. Suna pointed towards a large building. I gave her a questioning look. "Shopping centre…" she said simply. I nodded and we walked towards the large building. I handed her a list of things we needed around the house and I took the grocery list. We separated and a few hours later I was finished searching for food items and had paid I couldn't find Suna. I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. It was silent for a moment then I heard a familiar voice. "Temari?" I asked. "Suna told me you were making a sad little attempt at shopping…" she said with a smirk. I sighed and handed her the bags. She opened them up and looked inside. "Not too bad…" She said as she handed them back to me. I smiled. "Where's Suna then?" I asked. "doin' a little part time job search…" She said. I raised an eyebrow at the blonde that was my sister…


	48. Reinstated Nin

**Chapter 48**

**Suna**

I knocked at the door. "Come in!" called a voice. I opened the door to see Gaara seated at his desk hunkered down over paperwork. "Paperwork as boring as it looks?" I asked. He looked up, his sea foam eyes drooped slightly. "Thought so…" I said as I stepped forward. "What your business here?" He asked. I took a breath. "I'm here to request being reinstated as a Sunagakure Nin…" I said with as much confidence as I could muster. His lips curved into a smile. "I was hoping you'd make this request…" He said as he looked through a drawer of his desk. I gave him a questioning look. "Sunagakure needs someone with your vast amount of weaponry knowledge… what level were you at when you were pulled out?" He asked as he pulled out a small folder. "Chuunin." I said firmly. He nodded and stood up. He walked over to a large books case filled with folders. He flipped through and eventually plucked a large folder from the shelves. He sat back down at the desk and flipped through the folder quickly. "You'd be ready to reach jounin level just after a few missions according to your record…" He said as he sat back in his chair. Again I gave him a questioning look. "According to your record you were just a few missions away from being announced a jounin when you were pulled out…" He explained. I nodded. "Fill out the form and it will be looked over quickly…" He said as he pushed the smaller folder towards me. I nodded and took the folder. I walked towards the door and opened it while holding the folder in my other hand. I looked over my shoulder towards him. "Thanks…" I said as I left the room, closing the door behind me. I walked out of the building, basking in the gentle sun light. I walked through the streets till I happened upon a park. I sat down at a table in the shade as some children played ball in the sun. I filled out the sheet slowly as I absent mindedly spaced out.

Name: Suna Arashi

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Last known shinobi level: Chuunin

Weapon of choice: unspecified

Mission rank level: C-rank

Elemental chakra: fire

My thoughts were interrupted by the groans of children. I looked over to see there ball had landed among the branches of a tree far to tall for them to climb safely. The children sat down by the tree with expression going from grump to pure distress. I barely moved my finger and watched as a small line of sand scaled the tree and knocked the ball down towards the group of children. They're expression changed from sadness to happiness and surprise. I smiled as the children began to play again. I returned to filling out the form. A gust of wind blew my short hair to the side. I looked of and emerging from a spiral of wind was a familiar blonde. "Temari-chan!" I called out. She smiled and sat across from me at the table. "I thought you were looking for work?" She questioned as she eyed the folder in front of me. I smiled. "I was… but as I passed some buildings I saw a group of genin practicing enthusiastically. I felt distant… I had forgotten what it was like to be a ninja… So instead of looking for work I paid a visit to the Kazekage and requested to be reinstated…" I explained as I closed the folder. She nodded. "Care to join me for training then?" I stood up with a smile. "Of course! I just have to drop this off." I said as I grabbed the folder. I gave a small wave before I disappeared in a flash of sand. I appeared outside of the Kazekage building and entered quickly. I walked up to the receptionist. She was speaking to a brunette. I sighed and waited behind the brunette as she pleaded with the receptionist. "Please! I have to see Kazekage-sama!" She pleaded. "What is your business?" The receptionist asked calmly. "Please! It's really important!" She pleaded. "I can't let you in right now…" The receptionist responded simply. The brunette stomped her foot and turned around to walk off, only to crash into me. She stepped back and looked at me. Her eyes widened slightly. I stepped around her and approached the receptionist, the brunette's eyes following me the entire time. "Excuse me?" I said as I reached the desk. "Yes?" The receptionist responded. "I need to hand in this form…" I said as I held forward the folder. The receptionist took the folder opened it, then closed it with a smile. "Thank you… It's always nice to regain a skilled ninja…" she said as she placed the folder in a pile. "Thank you!" I said as I walked off. "Hello Matsuri…" I said as I passed the brunette, an expression of shock permanently frozen to her face. I left the building with a smirk. Things were turning in crazy directions, but at least I was in control of my life for the first time in years…


End file.
